


East Meets West: The Cowboy and His Dragon

by Thedelkflyer



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkwardness, Broken families become whole again, Brothers, Confusion, Depression, Desperation, Developing Friendships, Double Agents, Drinking, Eventual Happy Ending, Flashbacks, Friendship/Love, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, Hurt/Comfort, Jesse McCree & Genji Shimada Are Best Friends, M/M, Nightmares, Noodle Dragons, Overwatch Family, Overwatch Recall, Past Violence, Plot Twists, Post-Recall, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Repressed Memories, Rescue Missions, Sad Hanzo Shimada, Slow Burn, Spirit Animals, Spirit World, Strained Friendships, Strangers to Lovers, Suicidal Thoughts, Touch-Starved, Violence, innocent spirit, learning to love again, past demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2020-08-13 21:11:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20180788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thedelkflyer/pseuds/Thedelkflyer
Summary: Hanzo has been stuck in the spirit world that his dragons live in for nearly a decade. He doesn't even remember most of his life before the spirit world. His world might change when a cowboy somehow manages to stumble into this invisible realm. That is, if Jesse doesn't get killed by vicious spirits before he makes it to the tower Hanzo has confined himself to.





	1. Reminiscing Among the Spirits

Hanzo could watch the forest for hours, which he usually did. This particular forest was strange and mysterious to most earthly creatures. Nothing any other human had ever seen, or at least seen and lived to tell the tale. To Hanzo however, it was a comforting sight. The trees curled and shifted with the force of the current that flowed through. The current hit the trees differently over the ocean of forest that covered the entire world. Some trees trampled down in the stampede of the current, others’ leaves barely rustled from its strength. Spirits shifted in and out of the sea of vegetation. Sometimes Hanzo’s eyes could barely pick up anything except for the faintest spots of glimmer, other times spirits were massive and floating through the air. On one occasion, he had even seen something in the distance that appeared to be taller than his stone tower.

Hanzo sighed as he stared out the window into the wealth of forest surrounding the lone tower. He saw the trees shift from one species to another. One of the trees within his view decided to shift and release cherry blossom petals into the wind. Hanzo watched as most of the blossoms got caught and dragged along the current, speckles of pink on a mossy green stream. A couple of blossoms struggled through the air desperately catching the breeze, willing to fly a little longer. One lone petal managed to ride the wind towards Hanzo’s lone window. Hanzo shifted for the first time in hours, stretching his hand out past the safety of his window seal, and caught the petal between his fingers. He pressed his lips together as he released the petal back into the wind almost as soon as he had caught it. That petal wasn’t the same as the cherry blossom petals from his home Hanamura. Hanzo couldn’t remember how those petals felt but he knew in his gut that petal didn’t come close to those from his childhood home. It had been many years since he had touched the soft petals in his courtyard in Hanamura. He missed his childhood home a little more every day. 

_That’s not entirely true, some days you don’t even think about that place, _a small voice echoed within Hanzo’s mind. A glimmer of soft blue light arose from within the folds of Hanzo’s hair. A slight dragon spirit slowly made its way out of the billowing inky locks. Blue clouds floated along the spirit dragon’s body, signaling to any observer that he was not of the physical world. At times like this, Hanzo disliked that these two spirits could listen to his thoughts whenever they wanted. He had meant to keep his take on the cherry blossom to himself. _Didn’t you hate Hanamura?_ Another voice, more feminine, asked within his mind. This voice came from yet another spirit dragon, whose delicate blue body was curled up against Hanzo’s chest. The dragon’s head took shape through the mist of the spirit world that surrounded her whole body. 

“I didn’t hate Hanamura, Soba.” Hanzo replied hoarsely, his voice pierced the air. He hadn’t heard his voice in a while. He hadn’t heard anything other than the natural far off noises of the forest in a week or so at least. Time moved differently in the tower. “I have many wonderful memories from my childhood in Hanamura, even if I don’t remember most of them.” Hanzo paused as Udon drifted towards his face, clouds and all. _You only remember the bad memories. How can you be sure you ever had good memories?_Udon asked Hanzo as he lazily drifted past Hanzo’s face and back into the abyss of hair. “I might not remember the events, but I remember the feelings those events brought.” Hanzo answered, still staring into the forest below.

Soba stretched, slowly sliding out of Hanzo’s Gi. Her mist spread as she slid through the air eventually curling onto Hanzo’s palm, which he had held outstretched in front of his face for her. Her body curled around itself in ways nothing of actual physical matter could. _Humans have so many feelings. I wish I could feel them such as you. _Soba smiled at Hanzo, slowly wrapping her tail around his wrist. Her nails softly kneaded the flesh of Hanzo’s hand in a cat like manner. Hanzo often found it amusing how similar to cats his two spirit dragons were. He would never tell them that, however, since they seem to think of all earthly creatures as too “animalistic and unrefined”. Their words, not his. 

Hanzo shifted his gaze from the view out the window to the small pile of mist and dragon clinging to his hand. “I wish at times I could feel such little emotion as spirits. Emotions simply make life so much more complex.” Hanzo muttered to the spirit as his mind started to wander. Hanzo lowered his hand to the window seal and let the small dragon curl onto the spot of sun on the warmed stones. He could feel Udon drifting through the massive weight of his hair like usual. That was Udon’s favorite spot. Hanzo’s gaze returned to the drifting forest as he rested his chin on his hand next to Soba. 

\---

Jesse had seen some strange things in his life. He’d grown up on a small farm in New Mexico and somehow over the years found himself roaming the world as a gunslinger for hire, simply trying to make a living. However, all of his experiences of different cultures had never prepared him for what was in front of his eyes right now. 

Briefly, Jesse wondered if maybe he should cut back on the drinking considering he had absolutely no idea how he got here. All he remembered was drinking whiskey in a back corner of some dingy bar on Christmas in Calaveras, Mexico. This didn’t look like Mexico. Granted, this didn’t look like anyplace he had ever seen before. It almost didn’t even look like Earth. 

Jesse tilted his head, squinting his eyes at the misty forest in front of him. It looked like a cross between a rainforest and a giant redwood grove in one of those DnD games that Genji, Hana, and Lucio loved to play. Except even more mythical and magical than any of them could ever dream up. They weren’t as creative as they thought they were, Jesse realized as he continued to stare wide eyed at the massive jungle in front of him. 

_What’s a DnD?_ a voice said from somewhere behind Jesse. Jesse jumped up so fast that his hat fell off his head. The gunslinger crouched and glanced around with one hand on his Peacekeeper; Jesse slowly stood trying to locate where the voice came from. He didn’t like being snuck up on. “Who’s there?” Jesse called out to the hazy darkness surrounding him. _Is a DnD a food? Wait, you can’t play food... can you?_ The voice asked, resonating from somewhere right behind Jesse’s ear. Jesse whipped around only to find nothing but more trees. 

“Where are you?” Jesse blurted out, glaring into the distance. Jesse’s eyes focused on a small glimmer of red and orange that seemingly swirled out of the darkness about a foot in front of him. Squinting at the sudden light that pierced the darkness, Jesse watched unable to move as his hands clenched his gun. He now suspected this was a weird black out dream. The glimmer started to take shape as an animal, or more several animals that were mixed together. It was some weird experiment that only Moria could think of. It had the body of a tiny horse that also looked somewhat like a ... coyote head? Plus, what looked to be the tail of a rattlesnake in place of the horse tail. Which was still somehow just as fuzzy as the rest of its body. Was I drugged? Jesse wondered while seriously considering never drinking again. 

_I am right here. Can humans not see me in my astral form? I’ve met a human before you. Do all humans look like you? You are bigger than I thought a human would be. Are all of you humans as big as you?_ The voice rambled on, without the strange creature’s mouth ever moving. It’s in my head? Jesse thought to himself, startled when the voice replied, _Well, yeah_ The bright figure pranced towards him as Jesse started to back away with every intention of running as far away as possible. Jesse’s back hit an impossibly large tree trunk, scraping harshly against the sharp bark, as the misty creature jumped towards his face. Jesse didn’t even have time to wonder if he was about to die as the creature’s mouth open and licked his cheek. Then Jesse McCree, the notorious gunslinger with a sixty million dollar bounty on his head, fainted against the base of the tree. 

\---

Hanzo hadn’t stirred in hours. Despite still having a human body, Hanzo did not have any human urges anymore. He never felt hunger or thirst anymore. Udon and Soba made sure his body had energy. Luckily, sitting and watching the forest like he did every day didn’t use much energy. As the darkness covering the forest moved from behind his tower to cover the side of the forest Hanzo typically watch, he finally moved. He stretched towards the high stone ceiling, his bones cracking reminding him that he is not the young man he had been when he was on the physical world anymore. Hanzo padded softly through the tower, hair dragging behind him. Soba slid through the evening mist that filled the room, illuminating the room in soft blue as the light from the singular window faded to darkness. 

Dazed, Hanzo found himself on a lower level of the tower in a long candle lit room that would never be able to fit into this slim tower in the physical world. Hanzo picked up a longbow and resumed his practice as he had every night for almost a decade. He no longer needed sleep so his routine was the same practically every day. 

When the light was on his side of the tower, he simply observed this peculiar world. Sometimes, he even meditated in the warm rays of the light. When the darkness was on his side of the tower, Hanzo abandoned the window in favor of the lower levels of the tower, which were all filled with various training rooms. He trained relentlessly every night. Archery and Martial Arts were focused on the most. However, he attempted to keep his body strong as well by running and climbing throughout the entire tower. His long hair trailed behind him in both exercises, simply adding weight to his training. By the time the light came back to his side of the tower, Soba and Udon were always depleted of all the energy they had to give their master. He often had to carry them, while exhausted as well, cradled in his arms back to the lone window seal to rest and regain their energy. 

This particular night was no different. The archer trained until his muscles burned, one of the few bodily feelings he could still experience. Every night, that feeling of his muscles burning made him feel almost human again. He could almost imagine he was in the physical world again. Almost. There was something strange about this night, though. He couldn’t seem to put his finger on what exactly was different, other than an odd feeling in the base of his gut. Udon paid this feeling no mind at all, while Soba seemed more excited than usual for no apparent reason. Despite being exhausted from lending her energy to Hanzo, she twirled through the air, sliding among the misty rooms as if she was trying to dance. Hanzo found her adorable even if she was distracting. 

\---

Jesse woke to a world that was much different than the one he fainted in. It was bright and from the position of his head, he could see bright colors floating through the sky. Jesse blinked and rubbed his eyes as the night slowly came back to him. He had been on a mission for Overwatch, completed it, and decided to celebrate in some random bar since it was Christmas. Then a strange forest with a strange creature. Jesse sat up fast, suddenly remembering he was vulnerable here. He couldn’t stand due that same strange creature was now curled up on his lap. 

_I think in this world, you are the strange one._A voice, that somehow belonged to said creature on his lap, echoed in his mind. The Coyote/Horse/Snake creature slowly blinked it’s eyes open to stare up at Jesse. _You were out for a while so I took a nap!_ The creature stated cheerfully, ignoring the look of utter confusion on Jesse’s face.

“Where am I? What are you?” Jesse asked softly, not wanting to have the creature attack him again. What almost sounded like a chuckle was the creature’s initial response. 

_I did not attack you! I just wanted to know what a humans taste like! _Jesse gulped._ You are in my world. I’m a spirit. I’ve never seen a human before though. My friend says he has seen the human that lives in the big tower but I think he’s lying. I got to nap on your legs! I bet my friend can’t say he has ever been that close._The creature rambled on while Jesse started to wonder how old this spirit was. 

Jesse had only ever heard of one spirit before, which was Genji’s dragon, Ramen. He had only seen her once or twice. Genji said he was a bad influence to Ramen, which Jesse never understood. _Oh a dragon! Those are the rarest and most powerful spirits! I’ve always wanted to meet a dragon! Can you introduce me? _The creature replied to Jesse’s thoughts. Jesse sighed at the intrusion. “Wait, did you say there was another human here?” Jesse asked while processing the ongoing rambling of words that filled his mind from the small spirit. 

_Yeah, there is one in the tower! I’ve never seen the human but they say he is one with the dragons. So that means he's like super special or something. He’s been here as long as I can remember. My friend says... _Jesse cut off the stream of words and ask, “Can you show me where the human is?” 

_Oh, well, I don’t think. I mean... the closer you get to the tower, the stronger the spirits are. I mean I’m really strong too but we are on the edge of the world. The tower is in the middle. Plus the last of the dragons live there. They don’t like to be disturbed..._Jesse stared down at the small creature in his lap. “What’s your name, Darlin?” 

_Inka Alne._ The small wispy creature stared up at the cowboy and suddenly Jesse wondered why he was ever afraid of the spirit. “Well, Inka, I really need your help, Darlin. I need to find that other human.” Jesse gently lifted the spirit off his lap. “If I protect you, will you show me the way? Think of it as an adventure! You’ll be able to tell all your friends about your amazing adventure with a human.” 

Inka pranced around Jesse as if sizing the cowboy up. _Are you sure you are strong enough to fight the other spirits? You fainted when I licked your cheek. How can you face bigger stronger spirits? _Inka giggled at the thought. 

Jesse whipped out his pistol and shot a leaf floating through the air before Inka could even react. The giggle faded from Jesse’s mind. “Trust me, Sweetie. I bet I’ve fought worse.” Inka seemed to shrink before Jesse’s very eyes. _Okay, I’ll show you the way._ The spirit replied softly. 

Inka walked behind Jesse and by the time Jesse turned to follow, Inka was three feet taller than the spirit was previously and already yards ahead of Jesse. Jesse yelled for Inka to wait up as he raced through the strange forest behind her. The trees seemed to murmur around him and Jesse wondered if he’d ever get home again. 


	2. This World is Not for Humans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a scene in chapter that Hanzo is triggered and thrown into a memory. It is somewhat vivid. Please be aware and skip it if you need to.

Jesse might have been a bit too confident in his abilities regarding these spirits, he thought to himself for a third time in less than five minutes. It hadn’t even been an hour since Inka started to show him the way to the middle of this strange world and Jesse had already had his hat stolen by a floating creature. He only managed to get it back after practically begging Inka to pause for a moment so he could climb the tree after the spirit that almost looked like a bird and a squid combined. Inka found that whole situation hilarious. _Are all humans this silly? _Inka asked as the tree shook Jesse off like a bug once he had a firm grip on his hat. Jesse landed on his butt groaning from the impact. “Do all of your trees here have eyes?” Jesse replied feeling uncomfortable with having accidentally made eye contact with a tree. Not something he was used to. _Some do...not all. _Inka replied, oblivious to McCree’s sarcasm

Jesse slowly made his way back to his feet and continued to stumble after Inka. Inka’s tail whipped back and forth as they walked and Jesse wondered how the rattle wasn’t making any noise. They had been walking for what felt like miles yet, Jesse could see no tower in the distance. Honestly, he didn’t even know what he expected this so-called tower to look like, considering how odd the rest of this world was. “So, Inka is this world above my world? or where is this world in comparison to my world?” Inka’s eyes flickered back to look at the gunslinger as she considered the question. _I don’t know._ Inka finally replied. “You don’t know? Do you know anything about the human world, Darlin?” 

Inka turned around to trot back to Jesse. _Nothing! Most spirits don’t bother to wonder anything about humans._Inka bounced behind and around to Jesse’s left side. _You should tell me more about humans! Then I will know more!_ Inka shoved her coyote head, which now was well above Jesse’s head, into his shoulder in what seemed to be an affectionate manner. McCree choked a bit on the mist that was constantly surrounding Inka. 

“Well, honey, humans are complicated. It’s hard to describe us as a group.” Jesse replied. He didn’t want to possibly scar this innocent spirit with his and his species’ bloody history. Inka stomped her hooves. _Well, what about a DnD and the people you thought of? _Jesse chuckled. He supposed that was innocent enough to describe and those three were the most childish of his friends. 

“From my understanding, which is limited because I don’t play, it is a group of people that pretend to be another group of people for fun. And they go on adventures and do stuff. Genji, Hana, Lucio, and Angela play it every week. Sometimes other people play too, but not always.” Jesse replied, attempting to sum up the game he had only seen in passing. “It’s like fantasy. You can be whoever you want and go wherever you want.” Inka trotted alongside the gunslinger, hanging on to every word. _Whatever you want? _Inka asked, sounding almost giddy. 

“Well I mean, I think there are some rules. I know they use dice and math to determine if they win or lose whatever they are trying to do. Angela always insisted on it. That’s why she hates when Jamison plays, he just throws the dice at her. At least, Genji will roll the dice but he does it dramatically every time. It’s his lucky roll he says.” Jesse mimicked Genji’s dramatic dice roll that the ninja insisted on using every single time the DnD group played. 

Inka raised one of her front hooves and tried to reenact Jesse’s movements. Jesse chuckled at the ridiculous sight. A giant orange horse-like creature with a coyote head, fur running down her body, with the back end of a rattlesnake as a tail, hopped on three legs while shaking the fourth leg in the air back and forth. If this really wasn’t a dream, then Hana, Lucio, and Genji were going to flip their shit when he told them. Jesse honestly wasn’t sure what was real anymore. 

\---

The odd feeling in Hanzo’s gut never disappeared over the course of the next couple days. Hanzo tried not to pay it any mind. He continued to spend his days in front of his lone window, observing the unique ecosystem of the spirit world. At nights, he worked his body as hard as possible. 

One evening, Hanzo was climbing the inside of his tower. His muscles tensed as his fingertips grasped the rough stone. The archer pressed his cheek against the wall pausing for a moment to catch his breath. Dawn was coming soon and his dragons were tired. Soba, curled up exhausted, waited for him at the top of the stone wall. Udon had sunken his claws into the stones next to Hanzo. The dragon’s small form shivered as he struggled to hang on with his master. Hanzo shifted his weight and moved his right prosthetic foot to the next foothold while reaching upward, nearly to the finish line. In a span of a split second, Hanzo's right foot reached the foot hold but slipped on his hair which dangled in front of the crevice. Then Hanzo was falling. 

He landed hard, body collapsing under its own weight, limbs and hair tangled together. Blue dragons flew down after their master, growing in size, as their voices rang in Hanzo’s head. He couldn’t understand what they were saying over the pain. He hadn’t felt such physical pain in a long time. Hanzo’s lungs struggled to bring in enough air as his dragons’ voices molded together into screams ringing in the distance. Thick blood flashed behind Hanzo’s eyelids. Hanzo’s throat felt tight as he saw a figure laying beside him. Begging. Sobbing. Bleeding. 

The physical pain faded in Hanzo’s mind as his breath caught in his throat and he recognized the vivid green hair matted under blood. He did this. Hanzo clutched his heart, shaking, fingernails violently digging into his chest. Udon and Soba curled around him desperately trying to stop their master from hurting himself. They needed to snap him out of the distance memories he was trapped in. 

The dark figure with eyes like his, raised a shaking hand and reached towards Hanzo. Tears rolled down the figure’s face, matching the tears that flowed down Hanzo’s face. Multiple sets of eyes blinked open in the darkness behind their sprawling bodies on the hard, blood stained stones. The figure’s hand, your brother’s hand, someone whispered, took a desperate hold of Hanzo’s long strands of hair, forcing Hanzo’s eyes to meet his. His brother’s eyes bolted him in place, drawing him further into the blood soaked memory. The eyes glanced down and Hanzo’s followed, seeing a sword in his brother’s chest. A sword that was in Hanzo’s hands. Blood on Hanzo’s hands. A life forever on his hands. 

Udon slapped Hanzo’s face with his wing and Hanzo was brought violently to the present. Deep breathes racked his body as he stared at the blue dragon in front of him. Udon’s body now took up most of the room, pressed against him forcing him to stay in the present. Hanzo could feel Soba behind him, also pressed against him, hugging his body from behind. Blue mist and clouds filtered through the air. He could feel his dragons giving their energy, or what was left of it after a long night, into his pained body. Hanzo stared down at his hands, and upon seeing only his normal skin color instead of blood red, sighed, relaxing into his dragons’ bodies. 

\---

Inka had been asking about the various complexities of DnD for about two hours now. Everything from, _why are there different kinds of dice_ to _what’s a brothel?_ after Jesse accidentally brought up Genji’s frequent use of them in DnD to piss off Angela. Jesse snorted at the latter question. He had no idea if spirits had sex. He also had no idea how old Inka was. McCree really didn’t want to talk about the birds and the bees with a shape shifting, hyper, orange chunk of mist. Eventually, the practically endless questions ran out as Inka became frustrated with how little the cowboy actually knew about this game. _Bring you friends next time so I can learn!_ Inka finally demanded. Jesse readily agreed. If he ever did manage to leave that was. 

Darkness was slowly creeping back over this side of the spirit world. Jesse’s hair floated through the wind. The air was strange in this foreign land. Some places, Jesse felt as if he was back in the desert with its crisp dry air. Other places, he was at the bottom of the sea or at least how he imagined the bottom of the ocean would feel like. He felt like he was swimming rather than walking. A couple times throughout this long journey, Jesse got swept up in a strange slipstream. Pressure suddenly swept his body off the ground. Inka had to help him out before he floated too far off course. Sometimes the current was like a truck slamming into the cowboy, other times Jesse could hardly feel it as it flowed around him. Inka tried to explain what the steady flow that ran through the whole spirit world was but Jesse was too annoyed to listen. He did not like this world. It was constantly changing and Jesse found that rather off putting. 

Inka warned the gunslinger that they might run into stronger, perhaps even violent spirits now that they were getting closer to the middle of the world. So far, there had only been a couple instances where Jesse had to draw his gun. While Inka and Jesse traveled through a very densely wooded area, a spirit appeared that was so large that it blocked the entire area. Jesse thought it was a mountain at first. The cowboy tried to make a joke about not knowing Snorlaxs’ were real but that drove Inka back into a question frenzy now about pokemon. One particular spirit started threatening Jesse when he shooed it away for playing with his spurs. This tiny but passionate spirit wouldn’t leave the spurs alone until Jesse pulled out his gun. Even now the spirit dangled off of his belt swinging and climbing his body randomly. Luckily, most other spirits gave him curious looks but ignored him. 

It wasn’t until the small monkey spirit suddenly darted away through the wood that the cowboy and Inka realized there was trouble. Inka vaporized in an instance. The gunslinger whipped out his peacekeeper stepping behind a tree, as he searched for the threat. McCree could feel a cold mist behind his back. Inka assured him it was just her. _We aren’t alone_. Inka whispered in Jesse’s mind. “Well, no shit.” Jesse tensely whispered back, feeling bad about swearing to the kid for a millisecond. The forest seemed to hold its breath alongside Jesse as he heard a crash in the distance. 

Suddenly, a large green figure flew through the sky, crushing a small forest in its wake. The large spirit, that looked somewhat like Winston had a baby with a Wooly Mammoth, landed only a couple yards away from Jesse and Inka. Jesse fell to one knee, clutching the trunk of the tree in front of him to keep steady as the ground rolled under the weight of the green spirit. Inka disappeared, not even occupying the mist around him, Jesse noticed. He hoped she didn’t abandon him. 

Another large spirit, this one a dull red brown color, appeared in the distance over the tree line. It looked like a large serpent with arms. As the creature in the distance, ducked back under the trees, probably to slither over this way, the large green spirit struggled to stand up. Jesse, ducked behind trees, attempting to circle around the creatures before their fight crashed into him. He stumbled a couple times as the ground continued to shift under the creatures’ force. 

The red spirit broke through the tree line and lunged through the air with its fangs out aiming for the green spirits throat. The green spirit burst into a light green mist as the red spirit’s face slammed into the ground. Shaking its head, the spirit lifted itself up, beady eyes glaring through the forest searching for traces of its opponent, one of its fangs now broken and buried into the soft ground below. Jesse dropped as low to the ground as he could, not wanting the spirit to see movement and mistake him for an enemy. The cowboy look didn’t really blend in well in a spirit forest, or whatever its called, Jesse thought bitterly. 

He heard trees snap as the red serpent spirit took off again searching. The cowboy relaxed as the thunderous sounds headed in the opposite direction. Just as the cowboy started to stand, however, something slammed into his side forcing his body into the air. Jesse’s arms and legs flung around him in an attempt to simply not die as he flew through the air. His body twisted and Jesse briefly registered three things. One: he lost his hat, two: he just got slapped with a giant, red, snake tail and three: he was probably going to die upon impact. 

Now, Jesse McCree is not the type to just roll over and die. The cowboy has lived a hard life, fighting for everything he's ever had. He didn’t want to die, especially now that he has his family again. Overwatch being recalled was the best thing to happen to him in a long while. He missed everyone. Even people he thought were dead came back. As new recruits came in, like Hana and Lucio, he found that his family had surprisingly gotten larger as well. Even if they were nerds. Point was, it ain't his time. Jesse didn’t want to die in a strange land where giant snakes smacked people into the sky. Though, Jesse really didn’t know how to get out of this situation as he flew through the air. Too bad I can't fly, Jesse thought to himself as his mind tried to think of ways to land and not get crushed. 

_Mister human_ Jesse heard Inka say, unsure of where she was. “Not now, pumpkin, busy trying not to die.” Jesse replied without thinking. _Mister Cowman, you can open your eyes_, Inka giggled. Jesse sighed, “It’s cowboy and seriously, Darlin, this ain’t a good time....” Jesse’s voice trailed off as he opened his eyes and realized he was floating.

\---

Soba perched on the window seal and anxiously watched her master. He stared out the window, even more life less than usual. His unfocused eyes gazed into the sky. Udon curled up on Hanzo’s lap and dark clouds surrounded the pair. Udon often expressed his mood through the clouds and his mood often matched his master’s mood. Soba worried about the pair.

Those episodes had slowly decreased in frequency over this past decade that Hanzo has been in the spirit world. Yet, their effect on Hanzo damaged his mental health more and more every time. His escape to the spirit world was supposed to be a short break from the hell that had become his life. Now, it's been so long that Hanzo repressed most of his memories in favor of not feeling like the spirits do. 

Udon and Soba tried to convince their master to go back home for years. However, nothing seemed to convince him. They showed him his people needing his guidance and he scoffed. They showed him the wonders of the Earthly world, hoping to convince him to at least travel. They even tried to convince him by reminding him of the things he used to love, good food, even better sake, and the best human companion money can buy for a night. Nothing mattered to Hanzo anymore. When Soba and Udon felt the presence of another Shimada dragon again Hanzo refused to even look. He claimed they were lying to trick him back to that hell called Earth. Soba still felt the pain of her beloved master, Hanzo believing that she would ever lie to him. After that, Udon gave up. Soba continued to try to convince Hanzo but in different ways now. 

After this past evening’s episode, Soba was desperate for Hanzo to go back to the human world. Any earthly creature would go insane and die if they spent too much time in this foreign world. The creatures of Earth simply aren’t meant to be in this world for too long. A decade is much too long. Soba studied her master’s face, the tired lines under his eyes, the grey hair that was not there when they first arrived, and pain that was always present. It was there even more today than usual. 

Hanzo started up, moving for the first time in hours. His eyes focused on something in the distance. Soba perked up, excited that Hanzo was interested in something. Udon climbed up to Hanzo’s shoulder, curious of what his master saw that made him stand up so suddenly. Soba turned to look as well. Outside the window, in the distance, a figure was floating through the current, miles above the ground, flapping its limbs obviously not used to the unnatural flow. A small misshapen spirit, that held what almost looked like a cowboy hat as far away from the other figure as it could, was laughing. Udon floated closer to the window, fascinated by the sight. Hanzo stepped forward as well, and for the first time in a long time, was utterly confused. 

“Is that a cowboy hat?” 


	3. One Man's Secret

Hanzo paced back and forth across the length of the tower, mind running faster than his feet could follow. The archer occasionally motioned with his hands in a silent conversation with himself. Soba and Udon rested on the window seal silently observing their master. They knew there wasn’t much they could do to help when he got like this. Udon listened to their master’s thoughts, hoping to assist him when Hanzo was willing to listen again. Soba didn’t bother knowing that nothing she could say about seeing the random floating cowboy, in a world that is practically uninhabitable to humans, would help Hanzo fathom this. 

Hanzo hadn’t seen another human in a decade. He hadn’t had a conversation with someone who actually spoke words back to him, not just into his mind, in a decade. Honestly, the Shimada didn’t even want to think about the last couple conversations he had. They only led to pain and anguish. After Hanzo left Earth, he didn’t keep up with anything from the human world, choosing to isolate himself completely in this spiritual oasis. 

His mind wandered through many different possibilities of how another human could have possibly come to this realm. As far as Hanzo knew, only Shimadas could come to the realm. It took years of practice for a Shimada to even come here in their astral form. Only those who have mastered their mind and body and have a spiritual partner could come here in their physical form. Even then, the spirit world will slowly kill any human who dared to step foot in the sacred place. Hanzo, himself, had only lasted this long because his dragons and his sheer force of will to punish himself for his past sins. Even then his body and mind had suffered over the past decade, though he would never admit it. Hanzo’s body was barely holding together because of Soba’s and Udon’s devotion to their master. However the fact remained that the spirit world was poison to humans. So why was there another human here?

Hanzo’s eyes flicked to the window over and over again as he both hoped and dreaded to see the human in the distance. At first, Hanzo had simply assumed that the figure drifting through the current was another spirit but after only a couple seconds he had no doubt it was a human. Humans were solid and stuck out like a sore thumb in this world. It took years for the spirits to be used to his presence. The spirit world hadn’t had a human inhabit it in hundreds of years since Hanzo’s great, (of multiple greats), grandmother had built this tower after her husband died. She came and died here racked by grief as Hanzo now did. The tower was built on painful pasts. 

This particular human attracted a lot of attention. He was loud and dressed in a ridiculous outfit. Despite being miles away from the tower, his voice carried through the wind to Hanzo’s ears. The first human voice Hanzo had heard in years sounded like it belonged to an idiot. Hanzo desperately hoped humankind hadn’t devolved into a bunch of cowboys in the ten years he was away. Maybe there had been an apocalypse and the only people to survive were cowboys. Maybe the man just liked dressing up like it was halloween every day. Maybe he came to this world on halloween and was still in his costume.

Hanzo paused for a moment, reveling in the fact that he hadn’t thought about Halloween in a long time. He was surprised he even remembered the holiday especially considering he had never been allowed to celebrate it. Hanzo fondly remembered Genji’s insistence on always wanting to celebrate it. Genji had wanted to be a cowboy. Hanzo’s face wore a shadow of a smile on it as he walked back to the window. The smile faded as the memory of Genji’s smiling face transformed into a terrified, blood covered, expression. Hanzo’s nails pressed into his palms as he banished the thought from his mind. This is why he did not think of the past. 

\---

Jesse was currently reloading his peacekeeper. He had limited ammo left and he needed to conserve it. The gunslinger darted out his hiding place, throwing himself onto the ground and rolling to another large tree. He listened intently for a moment then peered around the tree and fired two shots. He saw one spirit fall to the ground from the impact of the bullets. The other spirit was nowhere to be seen. Two spirits had attacked him as soon as he and Inka managed to reach the ground after riding the current. 

_Your Left!_ Inka half yelled in the cowboy’s mind. Jesse swung wildly and kicked a giant purple wolf in the face as it lunged at him. Jesse’s leg went through the spirit’s face not even affecting it. The wolf tackled Jesse to the ground, mouth snarling. Jesse shoved his prosthetic arm up into the wolf’s mouth. It’s teeth tore up the metal. The cowboy howled in pain, fingers grasping thin air searching for his gun. Where was his fucking gun? Jesse buckled his whole body attempting to get the wolf off. He saw a shimmer of orange above the wolf as Inka’s body formed. 

Inka dropped onto the wolf spirit’s back and her jaw snapped down on the side of the purple spirit’s throat. The wolf let out a disturbingly human-like scream and rose on it’s back legs, throwing Inka off. Jesse scrambled out from under the wolf spirit, his metal arm dragged him down. He fumbled with his belt and threw a flashbang at the purple spirit. The wolf burst into droplets of water falling into a thick purple puddle. McCree didn’t have a moment to wonder if it was dead, as he heard Inka cry out. 

The other spirit, this one looked like a giant wasp crossed with a vulture and riddled with bullet holes, slammed Inka into a boulder. It’s talons dragged the smaller orange spirit up into the air. Jesse swore and dragged himself to his feet, scooping his disgared gun up in the process. He ran after the pair. Inka cried out in pain. The sound sent Jesse into a rage, she was a child. He had to protect her. It was his responsibility. He brought her to the center of this Godforsaken land away from her safe edge of the world. He had to save her. The cowboy leaped into a tree underneath the pair, desperately throwing himself further and further up the tree. The cowboy ignored the pain that wracked through his nerves, focusing only on the sound of the spirits’ struggle grow closer to him every second. 

As the branches grew thinner, Jesse summoned his inner Genji and threw himself into the air. His hand managed to grab a hold of Inka’s hoof and his weight ripped them both out of the larger spirit’s grip. They fell, branches broke under their combined weight. Right before the pair hit the ground, Inka disappeared and Jesse slammed into the ground. Groaning from the force of the impact and blinking as black spots flitted through his vision, the gunslinger saw the wasp/vulture spirit descend through the trees. 

The gunslinger tried to clear his mind and focus, disregarding the pain throughout his whole body. He had no other options left. McCree refused to die in this god forsaken land. Jesse’s head started to pound as time slowed down. His breath got stuck in his throat, practically choking him. 

_Focus_. A dark whisper rose in the human’s mind. Jesse felt harsh fingers forcing his eyes open. Sweat poured out of his body as it screamed danger.

_Mark_. His eye glowed red, summoning a power that no human should possess. His whole body tensed from the uncomfortably familiar power.

_Draw_. The gunslinger’s breath burst out seconds after his finger pulled the trigger. The target dropped out of the sky, slamming into the ground and melted. The dark presence surrounding his body faded as his eye resumed a normal color. Jesse trembled from the stress he placed on his body. Time blinked and returned to its proper rhythm.

Inka slowly appeared next to the cowboy. Jesse struggled to sit up. The orange spirit helped the man sit up. Jesse breathed heavily, one hand over his heart, willing his heartbeat to return to normal. Glancing around, the gunslinger couldn’t see any trace of either of the violent spirits. He hoped that meant they wouldn't bother the pair again. He doesn’t want to have to call upon Deadeye again. Inka, now very small in size, curled into his side, whimpering. Jesse wrapped his torn up prosthetic arm around her, attempting to comfort the spirit. 

The cowboy was now regretting asking the young spirit to show him the way. McCree vowed to himself to not let the young spirit get hurt again under his watch. As if sensing his decision, Inka looked up at the cowboy. _We are close. _She whispered into his mind while pointing into the forest. Jesse followed her gesture and gasped at the structure. The human stared at the high stone tower in the distance through the trees. He was almost there. 

\---

Hanzo had stopped pacing by the time he heard the cowboy grow close the tower. The archer had resigned back to his typical seat in front of the window, leg anxiously jittered up and down. Udon wrapped through Hanzo’s hair and around his neck. Soba curled up in her favorite spot, pressed into her master’s chest, half in his gi. Blue clouds drifted around their master’s head courteous of Udon while mist drifted around the lower portion of his body courteous of Soba. Both dragons were attempting to comfort their master to the best of their abilities. He had a rough couple of days. 

Hanzo watched as the other human leaped out of a tree and grabbed a hold of the small orange spirit from within the talons of a much larger spirit. He watched them fall in silence, as the larger spirit paused then started to descend after the odd pair. For a second, the Archer wondered if he would even get the chance to meet the cowboy. Then something strange happened.

Hanzo almost missed this unnatural occurrence. It was only after his dragons noticed something different was happening that Hanzo was made aware of it. Soba and Udon guided their master’s gaze to see through their eyes. Three individuals saw as one, watching as time slowed down. Their minds being linked allowed Hanzo's human eyes to pick up on this inhuman moment. The tree obscured the other human but the three could see a red menacing presence growing through the trees. Then the large violent spirit fell below the treeline most certainly dead. Then the menacing presences faded from their sight. Hanzo had never seen anything like it in either the human world or the spirit world. The archer was more cautious now, on the off chance that this cowboy was somehow an assassin sent from the Shimada clan to kill him for abandoning them. He would not take the other human lightly. Udon and Soba remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout this whole event. 

Hours later, the cowboy and the small orange spirit broke through the tree line far below Hanzo’s window. The archer sat quietly, just out of range view of the window, waiting to see how the cowboy would choose to attack him. Maybe he would climb up the tower and attack through the window. Maybe he would try to break through the base of the tower, and rise through the levels. Hanzo assumed however the cowboy would be ruthless. Whatever the man attempted, Hanzo would be ready. 

“Well, Howdy Stranger!” The cowboy screamed at the top of his lungs from the base of the tower. “Wanna let down your hair, Rapunzel?” 

Hanzo froze surprised and unsure of how to respond. It wasn’t until Soba started giggling that Hanzo sighed. So his tactic was to sweet talk his way close to Hanzo, then kill him. An odd choice for an assassin sent by his clan, however Hanzo will not let that small detail distract him. “I will not be fooled by your pleasantries. Why are you here? To kill me? I invite you to try!” Hanzo yelled back, rising with his storm bow. He angled his arrow down towards where he presumed the cowboy stood, only to find that the man was attempting, horribly, to climb the tower. 

Anger flooded through Hanzo. How dare this stranger come and invade the only place he had left. Hanzo fired an arrow at the stone right above the cowboy’s hand, making contact and caused the cowboy to fall. The man landed on his back, flattening the small spirit with him. “Aw what the hell, Darlin!” The cowboy exclaimed and looked up at his attacker. Hanzo couldn’t tell what his expression was, being so far away and somewhat out of practice reading expressions, but if he had to guess, Hanzo would say the cowboy looked surprised. 

\---

Jesse was riddled with frustration that the one other human in this world shot an arrow at him after he worked so hard to get to this ridiculous tower. McCree had had a long hard day and his whole body was sore. It didn’t hurt him much but come on, have some hospitality. Plus, he landed on Inka. He was now starting to wonder if this mysterious man really could help him. Why would Jesse come to kill him? He just wanted to go home. Rubbing his back, Jesse looked up to see his attacker for the first time. 

The man stood in the one window of the tower, glaring down at him. He had one leg on the window seal, aiming a bow down at the cowboy. He was dressed in clothes that looked to be Japanese to Jesse but he wasn’t sure. The archer’s hair hung down his side like flowing black ink. It draped over the window seal and back into the tower. It had to be a pain to take care of, Jesse thought. An odd thought to have while someone aimed an arrow at him. Especially considering the attacker’s expression looked deadly. 

“Hey now, I don’t mean any harm. I ain’t trying to kill ya. I just need help getting home.” The cowboy called up to the man, raising his hands in the air showing surrender. The archer considered his words, as two blue spirits popped up around him, one on the man’s shoulder and the other slid out the window. “How did you enter this world? Why have you come here?” The archer replied, his aim still directed on what Jesse assumed was his head. His first shot was a warning, the next one would probably be deadly.

“I don’t know, just woke up here. I honestly thought it was a black out dream for the first couple hours. I came to this tower because this one...” Jesse carefully pointed to Inka, who was hiding behind his shoulder. “...said there was another human here. Thought you could help me get home.” The archer barely moved as Jesse spoke, hyper focused on the cowboy. However, as Jesse finished speaking, one of the blue dragons started to twist through the air, out the window, descending towards Jesse. The cowboy’s fingers inched toward his gun as the dragon spirit drifted closer, feeling Inka tremble.

The lone human in the tower called after the dragon, attempting to call it back to him. The spirit paid him no mind. As the dragon closed the space between them, Jesse could feel the power radiating off of it. This dragon was undoubtedly top of the food chain in this world. Jesse no longer focused on the distant archer. His hand lingered on his gun not wanting to provoke an attack but ready if needed. Inka grew smaller behind him, tucking her head under his arm.

The gunslinger could hear the archer’s voice in the distance but was too mesmerized by the blue dragon’s eyes, now level with his, to understand what the other man said. Everything faded as the intelligent eyes stared back. Blue mist slowly clouding his vision. He could feel something lingering just outside of his mind, was the dragon asking for permission to talk to him? Slowly, Jesse nodded his head at the figure only a foot away from his face. The dragon’s face seemed to almost light up and warmth flooded Jesse’s mind. The blue mist separated the cowboy and the dragon from the rest of the world.

_I was waiting for you! _An unfamiliar feminine voice rang through his head. “Waiting for me?” Jesse whispered back, still mesmerized by the dragon’s gaze. _You and my master are two souls bound together. _The voice told him, as the dragon in front of him cocked it’s head to the side. Jesse’s eyebrows raised at the odd, prophecy like, statement. 

Suddenly, the dragon shot forward breaking the spell placed upon the cowboy. The cowboy scrambled backwards assuming the worst. He blinked his eyes closed as he felt the large blue spirit wrap around him. After a second, the cowboy opened his eyes to find the dragon was wrapped around him, it’s head tucked into his chest. Was she cuddling him?

A soft thud brought the cowboy’s attention upwards to the man who had just landed in front of him. Black hair billowed around the archer from his fall, another dragon flowed around him, larger than the human and twice as terrifying up close. The man raised his bow, his strong, powerful arms ready to release the arrow and end Jesse’s existence in less than a millisecond. A tattoo flowed down one of the man’s arms, glowing the same blue as his spirits. Blue clouds floated around the man, the soft glow of blue reflecting on the man’s skin from his dragons made him look like a mythical creature instead of a human. The archer’s face was full of sharp lines that could cut stone. Dark intense eyes bore into Jesse’s own. Jesse’s mouth dropped open at the man in front of him and the cowboy only had one thought. “Fuck.” 


	4. Cold Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. College has been crazy. I will try to get the next chapter out in a reasonably amount of time. Thank you all for you support!

Hanzo did not like the strange man that cuddled his dragon while sleeping in the spare bedroom of his tower. The spare bedroom was actually Hanzo’s personal bedroom but there is only one bed in the tower and Hanzo has not slept in years, so he offered it to the cowboy in an act of politeness. He did not offer for Soba to be curled around the man and his misshapen spirit companion while the human slept but for some reason, Soba was cuddling the pair. Hanzo didn’t like it. 

The cowboy could not keep up with the strand of questions that Hanzo had rapidly shot in his direction, while still aiming at the cowboy, when Hanzo first confronted the man. “Woah now, calm down for a minute there Darlin”, The cowboy said with his hands in the air. “Name’s McCree. I don’t know who you are or where I am and I am certainly not here to kill you! I just need some help and you are the only other human in this world. So... I came to you, Sweetheart.”

Hanzo flinched at the unfamiliar but overly friendly nicknames. 

“You will not call me that.” Hanzo shot back. “Just bein polite. You are the one pointing an arrow between my eyes.” The cowboy said cautiously. “You come into my world uninvited, show up at my doorstep, and expect me to be polite? You must be an American.” To which McCree cried out in offense, “Hey!” Hanzo continued, as he steamrolled over the American’s offense, “Now you have one more chance to tell me the truth before I end your blabbering, permanently. Why have you come here?” 

“I already told you! I don’t know how I got here or why. Last I remember I was in a bar in Calaveras drinking whiskey on Christmas. Then I woke up here. Honest to god thought it was some black out dream for the first couple hours. I just want to go back to my family. I didn’t check in when I should have and now I can’t. They are probably worried; they are the kind of people who do stupid things when they are worried. That’s why I’m here. So, you can tell me how to go home?” The cowboy replied, an almost desperate look in his eyes by the end of his little speech. 

That had been enough for Hanzo to hesitate and consider the out of place man in front of him. No assassin would dress this, it attracted way too much attention. This man was too sloppy, in many ways, to be a trained assassin. Even undercover assassins had more poise and dignity then this cowboy. That speech was enough for Soba to stop curling around the cowboy and his spirit companion and come back to her master’s side. She had begged her master to not kill him and instead help him. When Udon had nodded in agreement, the archer felt as if he had no choice. He had to help this lost soul. 

Soba and Udon had carried the two humans and the odd spirit back up to the tower window. The cowboy shook over the fact that he was riding a real, live, dragon. Hanzo was still too weak to climb the side of the tower by himself as he usually did and was grateful that the cowboy did not know him well enough to notice his weakness. Jumping out of the tower and threatening the cowboy had taken a lot out of him. So when the cowboy asked if there was any way he could “finally get some real sleep”, Hanzo didn’t mind waiting for answers to his questions until later. 

Now the Shimada paced throughout the top floor of the tower, occasionally sneaking glances through the doorway to the man within. The sleeping man, who Hanzo realized was significantly taller than him once they had gotten to the tower, which frustrated him, was much less intimidating, curled up in bed hugging the small orange spirit and being squished by Soba. The cowboy, McCree, had taken his ridiculous shoes and hat off but kept the rest of his outlandish outfit on even when he slept. What a weird man, Hanzo thought to himself. 

As Hanzo walked back towards the window, hair dragging behind him, As Udon chased it, like a cat, Hanzo wondered if he could send the man back to his family. The archer ached at the mention of family but knew just because he had ripped his family apart didn’t mean he should keep another from their family. Hanzo Shimada had never heard of a non Shimada in the spirit world. He didn’t even know if he possessed the ability to open a way from the spirit world to earth to send this man back. When Hanzo first came to the spirit world, it was driven by his drowning sea of sorrow and regret. Opening an exit now, would most certainly take practice and discipline, if it was even possible. Which meant, he was stuck with this cowboy for quite a while, at least. Sighing, Hanzo ceased his pacing and settled into the chair by the window. Maybe it would just be easier to kill him, Hanzo wondered. 

\---

“It’s been a month. We all know Jesse likes to disappear sometimes for a couple days and get blackout drunk somewhere but this is insane! It’s like he dropped off the face of the Earth? I am actually starting to get worried he’s dead. I don’t know what to do anymore!” Hana suddenly burst out in the Overwatch mess hall in Gibraltar after Jamison made a joke about missing McCree’s explosive cooking habits. 

Silence fell over the hall as Hana buried her head into her hands and started to cry. Lucio pulled her into his shoulder and rubbed her back. The various members of Overwatch mourned the disappearance of their friend in different ways as Hana cried. 

“He’s not dead.” Genji spoke up against the silence. “I don’t know how I know, but I know in my heart he's not dead. I can still feel his presence.”

“There is no actual evidence of him being dead. He had turned his comm and tracker off after his mission right before Christmas and never turned them back on as far as our technology can tell.” Winston added to the conversation. 

“If he’s alive, he’ll come back. Give him time.” Jack added grimly. “We have given him enough time. I know him, he’s my son.” Ana’s usually steady commanding voice wavered for the smallest of seconds. “If he was gone of his own free will, he would have let me know he was safe, or he would have come back by now.” Fareeha spoke up after her mother, “I agree. Something is wrong and we need to look for him. Where could we have gone that we didn’t think of?” 

“Jesse is a master of hiding himself, he learned to do so in blackwatch. He was one of the best. If he’s hiding himself now for some reason, we aren’t going to find him.” Angela, who had been sitting quietly next to Genji, finally spoke up. “But, we’ve been looking for evidence of anything now for a month and I don’t think he is hiding himself. I agree, we need to look for anything we haven’t already thought of. Our world has science, magic, omnics, spirit dragons,...” Angela motioned to the various Overwatch members who fit each part of what she was saying. “...we need to look past what the rest of our world sees and find out what odd thing Jesse has stumbled into now.” Angela finished with the remnants of a smile on her face. “We each have unique strengths, abilities, and backgrounds. That’s what's great about Overwatch. If we use all of the knowledge that we as a team possess, we will find him.”

The members of Overwatch contemplated the medic’s words in silence. The silence was broken when Jamison elbowed Mako and started rapidly talking to him about getting into contact with a certain Junker Queen. The room burst alive with all of the various members talking to whoever was near them about each of their unique connections. The room was alive with the possibility of hope for the first time in weeks. Angela relaxed into Genji’s shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief as the tension in the room faded. Genji’s hand found its way into her hair, rubbing her scalp. 

“Do you really think Jesse could have stumbled his way into something that weird?” Genji mumbled to Angela. “Maybe. We’ve known him a long time now and he always finds his way into the strangest kinds of trouble.” Angela replied, grateful for the Shimada’s support. Genji continued to comfort Angela as he drifted off into thought about where his best friend was.. 

\---

The cowboy that seemed to be on everyone's minds was currently hangery. _What does hangery mean?_ Inka asked the cowboy. Jesse stretched and groaned as his stiff, sore body protested the idea of him getting up if it wasn’t for food. “It means I’m hungry and grumpy, Darlin.” Jesse mumbled to the spirit without even opening his eyes. 

“If you need food, I can see if I can salvage some for you.” A deep voice sounded out startling the cowboy. Jesse sat up suddenly disrupting the two spirits who clung to him. 

“Ah, sorry darlin. Didn’t realize you were there.” The cowboy told the shorter man standing in the doorway. The man nodded, mouth twitching to scold the cowboy again, and walked away, Jesse assumed to find him food. The cowboy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wondered how the man continued to look like some beautiful royalty even when all he did was stand in the doorway and offer Jesse food. The man seemed almost like a spirit himself. As Jesse put on his boots, he thought about the other man’s hair. How could someone stand having their hair that long? It was long enough to drag on the floor. Though it looked like pure silk, the cowboy thought to himself, I wonder if it feels like silk. 

Woah now, the cowboy thought to himself, he was threatening to kill me earlier. He still could decide too, Jesse thought cautiously. No drooling over murder Repunzel, at least, until Jesse was sure he wouldn’t be murdered. Jesse stood, stretching, and walked to the doorway. Inka curled back up to continue sleeping. McCree looked around the top floor of the tower from the doorway. How did a circle tower have corners? Actually how could this room be so large? The cowboy ignored those questions, in favor of not having to think too hard. The tower did look like it came out of a fairy tale. Everything is magical in fairy tales, even towers. He wandered through the stone room, taking in the long tapestries with colors faded from age. The woven dragons’ eyes seemed to follow him. Jesse shivered. This tower seemed riddled with a haunting past. 

Jesse became aware of the female blue dragon as mist slid through the air towards him. She was following him as he explored the top floor of the tower. _My name is Soba, yours was McCree right?, _the blue dragon asked Jesse while twisting through the mist to his side. “Correct, darlin.” Jesse replied. 

“YOU ARE NOT A SHIMADA, NEVER SPEAK TO MY DRAGONS.” Hanzo bellowed from the doorway of the stairs. Hanzo's entire body was tense as he looked at the strange man, as if he would pull his bow out without any hesitation and shoot the cowboy. Jesse jumped away from Soba. 

“What, I wasn’t... I mean... I was just replying to her?” McCree stuttered at the imposing figure at the end of the room. The Shimada stormed towards the taller man as Soba slunked to the side to not provoke her master. McCree tensed, hand ready to draw his gun at any moment. Hanzo stopped inches away from the cowboy’s face, lifting his body as much as possible to appear intimidating in front of the taller man. 

"What do you mean by reply? The dragons can not be understood by those not of my family's bloodline!" Hanzo's face was filled with confusion lined with rage. "Did you come to take my dragons? Try to use their ancient power for yourself? You are a fool if you think I will let you, you stupid cowman."

McCree slowly backed up with his hands in the air. "Now, I didn't mean no offense, darling. I'd never take your dragons away. They love you too much. Soba here," Jesse motioned slightly to the female dragon. "Was just asking if my name was McCree. So I told her she was right. No harm done, I'm just being polite and replying."

Hanzo's eyes widened as he heard the gunslinger refer to Soba, by name. He turned to the dragon in question. Raising an eyebrow at her in a silent question. 

_Master, I just wanted to know his name. He's so nice. _ Soba replied softly only to her master. Hanzo glanced at the cowboy once more before replying to Soba. All the while, Jesse tried not to move and accidentally provoke the shorter man. "But how can he understand you?" Hanzo finally responded. Udon poked his head out of Hanzo's inky hair. _He must have a connection to the Shimada bloodline. In the past, there have been non Shimada's that could understand the dragons. However, they all had strong bonds with a Shimada. _ Udon replied to Hanzo. 

Hanzo contemplated the possibilities of this occurrence for several moments. Udon disappeared back into Hanzo's hair and Soba floated softly over to her master's shoulders to comfort him. _I like the strange man. He is kind and entertaining. You haven't had company in so long, master. _ Soba mentioned to Hanzo in hopes to ease his anxiety and mild embarrassment over the situation. Soba and Udon could tell their master was close to falling apart even if the gunslinger had no clue.

McCree stood silently in a corner as Hanzo paced the length of the room. When Hanzo finally turned to the gunslinger, Jesse almost flinched. He did not want to mess with the beautiful but probably insane man who was also his only hope home.

"Fine. I jumped to conclusions. I apologize for yelling at you as you are a guest. You may talk to the dragons." Hanzo paused a faint smirk on his tired face. "Be warned, they do bite when angered." With that Hanzo abruptly turned and marched out of the room calling for the "cowman" to follow him for food. 

McCree slouched against the wall for a moment before following the man. "Guest, my ass." He muttered under his breath as he finally walked after the archer. Soba who waited for him at the entrance of the stairs made a sound that Jesse thought almost sounded like a giggle. She floated beside him as he descended the spiral stairs. 

"This is one hell of a space. Tower definitely doesn't look this big on the outside." McCree called after the man. "It changes as I need it too." Hanzo replied in a short grunt. Hanzo turned into the first doorway on the right. "Come."

McCree jogged a bit to catch up. When he turned the corner of the doorway, startled from the sight. "How in the hell...." He said mostly to himself as Soba wrapped herself lazily around his shoulders. The room Jesse had entered was a large room filled with wooden shelves full of food ranging from bread to cheese to funny looking fruit. There was a small wooden counter in the middle of the shelves where the archer was cutting something. 

"Sit." Hanzo instructed, motioning to a wooden table, chairs, and bench in a corner of the room. Hanzo brought a wooden cutting board with slices of bread, cheese, and various fruit to the table that McCree now sat at. The gunslinger looked at the fruit nervously. "Is that some special spirit fruit?" He asked the man who now sat across from him. 

"Just eat," was the best response he got out of the archer. McCree cautiously picked up a piece of blue fruit that almost glowed. He examined it then glanced at the man across from him. 

"You sure it's safe?" McCree said as he sniffed the foreign blue piece. "Yes. Eat." The archer shot back with an expression of pure annoyance. McCree stared for a couple more seconds before shrugging and popping the piece in his mouth like candy. Hanzo watched as the cowboy's facial features shifted from confused to satisfied. 

"Damn, this is good! God, I could marry you right now!" McCree exclaimed happily as he began to stuff his face with the assortment of food in front of him. His hunger from the past couple days finally catching up to him. Hanzo watched with a face of almost pure disgust at the lack of manners. McCree glanced up, with his mouth filled to the birm and cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. 

"Oh, sorry sweetheart, you want some?" Jess's asked Hanzo with a mouth of half chewed food. "No. I do not need food." Hanzo replied curtly looking away from the disgusting man across from him. McCree simply said, "Your loss," and went back to stuffing his face. Soba floated halfway off the man's shoulders to rest her head on the table and observed the cowboy eat. Once McCree noticed her, he started to feed her small pieces. 

>_I really like him._ Soba told her master as she grabbed a piece of cheese out of the air when Jesse flicked it at her. Hanzo simply grunted in response. Udon was soon at the table as well, trying to catch pieces of food. Hanzo did not like how fast his dragons took to this messy cowboy. 

When Jesse was finally finished with every last piece and the dragons were done finding all the remainers on the table, Jesse sat back in his seat with a genuine smile. He was practically glowing. "It feels like I haven't eaten in a month and damn, that was good. Thank you kindly." Hanzo only nodded in reply. "So, I never actually got your name?" Jesse asked, staring expectantly at the archer. 

"Hanzo." He stated. "Well nice to meet you, Hanzo. Even if it was under these odd circumstances. It's nice to see another human in this world. Don't feel as alone now, ya know sweetheart? You can call me, McCree in case ya forgot my name." Jesse replied smiling as he winked at Hanzo. 

"I prefer to be alone." Hanzo stated solemnly. "Follow me, I will show you the rest of the tower so you may be comfortable until you return to your proper world." Hanzo stood and walked out not checking to see if McCree followed. 


	5. Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is trying to get closer to Hanzo. It's difficult, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, thank you so much for your support! I just finished finals so I'll try to get a couple of chapters out over winter break! I have some fun plans for the next couple of chapters!

It had been about a week since Jesse McCree had shown outside the Shimada tower. After Hanzo showed McCree around the tower on the first day, Hanzo rarely spoke to the cowboy again. The archer continued his routine of watching the world during the day and training during the night. He would not talk to the cowboy unless Soba pestered him enough to. Soba spent most of her time with McCree when he was awake. It took a couple days for Inka to warm up to the dragon due to her fear of the stronger spirit but eventually they became almost inseparable. The dragon made sure that the smaller spirit felt welcome, despite her twin Udon ignoring Inka. McCree was constantly trying to stop them from causing mischief so that Hanzo wouldn’t yell again. 

Jesse currently trained on one of the lower levels of the tower. He had been purposely training later and later every day in an attempt to “accidentally” run into Hanzo and perhaps spark a conversation. The gunslinger was tired of not having another human to talk to, just because the one other human in this strange world was antisocial. Shouldn’t the dragon archer be happy to finally have company? Jesse thought to himself. __ Master is very disciplined. He believes that he does not deserve companionship so he does not allow himself to have companionship.__ Soba responds to Jesse’s inner thoughts. Soba was curled around Inka as the orange spirit trotted around the room lazily. __But shouldn't everyone want friends? Are humans different?__ Inka asked. 

"Darling, humans love being with other people. We need companionship as Soba here called it. Even when I am on the run, I still want someone, even if it's just a short talk with a lovely waitress." Jesse replied as he scooped Soba off of Inka. He scratched behind Inka's ears as Soba wiggled out of his grip to float in lazy circles around the pair, spreading mist around the room. Jesse focused on the targets far across the room and within a matter of seconds each target had a bullet hole dead center. "I feel like I'm slowly going mad with boredom. Anytime, I ask Hanzo about going back to the human world he says he's working on it then ignores me again." Jesse sighed, complaining to the spirits. “I can’t even come to him to ask for something. When I tried to ask if I had bullets to train with, he just told me ‘The tower will provide for you.’ Then walked away. Doesn’t matter how pretty someone is, doesn’t give them the right to be rude anytime I try to talk to them. I just want him to talk to me. It's almost like he's a spirit instead of a human." Jesse said as he cleaned his gun. 

Soba and Inka watched the gunslinger work in silence. Inka looked over Jesse's shoulders absentmindedly chewing his hat. Occasionally, Jesse tried to swat her away from his hat but she was persistent. After thoroughly cleaning the peacekeeper, the trio wandered to the kitchen. McCree grabbed a hunk of cheese and some of the strange fruits, then went to find Hanzo. It was well into the night so the man had to be somewhere lower in the tower going by his usual schedule. McCree was determined to somehow get the other man to talk to him. 

\---

Hanzo pushed himself to his limit every night. Hanzo would not let the cowboy see any weakness in him. The presence of the other human in his world unnerved the archer. He was still wary of the possibility of the man being an assassin. Even if the possibility was low. Udon refused to leave his master’s side, trying to calm him and provide as much energy as possible. 

Hanzo climbed the inside of the tower with the weight of his hair pulling him back down. His muscles ached from the strain he’d put on them without giving himself the chance to rest. Panting, Hanzo’s trembling hand reached for the next crevice in the rock wall. He pulled himself up with one arm, feet searched for solid footholds.

Hanzo’s mind wandered as he climbed to distract from his exhaustion. He was frustrated at the entire situation with the cowboy. The archer wasn’t even frustrated at the cowboy himself. The archer didn’t want to admit but he could almost enjoy the cheerful man’s presence.. McCree’s cheerfulness had the same effect the Soba’s cheerfulness had on Hanzo. He felt lighter around them, which is why he had to avoid the cowboy. He did not deserve to be happy. 

The situation frustrated him mostly because the Shimada had absolutely no idea how the cowboy got here and absolutely no idea how to send him back. As the Shimada heir, he had access to everything the family knew about the spirits and their world. Yet, he had never ever heard of a non Shimada of the inner family being able to contact the spirits, much less come to the spirit world. Why was this man here? How did he come to randomly wake up in the spirit world? Did he have a spirit that was attached to him that drew him to this world. 

There were demons that occasionally passed through this world. If he had an attachment to a demon, which was not unheard, then that could be a factor. However, if the cowboy did have a connection to a demon then he was far more dangerous than Hanzo had first assumed. Humans that are cursed by demons are gifted with demonic powers from a very young age that slowly drive the human a little more insane every time they use their powers. They are often stronger than uncursed humans. Cursed humans are hunted down as soon as the curse is discovered due to their dangerous nature. Yet, McCree was older so if he truly had a curse on him, he must not use it often. He might not even know if he is cursed. God help Hanzo if the gunslinger really was cursed. 

Hanzo reached the top of the high rock wall and hauled himself over the edge, sweat soaking his body. Udon slipped out of his hair drifting around the panting archer as he slumped on the ground. Hanzo groaned and closed his eyes wishing he was dead for the millionth time in his life. Maybe the cowboy was sent here to further Hanzo’s torture for his greatest sin. Eternity with a ridiculously cheerful cowboy. Wonderful. Hanzo thought to himself as he lay on the ground, as his feet dangled over the edge of the platform. 

“Ya want some cheese?” a deep voice rang out over Hanzo’s own thoughts. Startled, the smaller man opened his eyes to McCree couching beside him holding a piece of cheese. Soba and Udon twisted through the air greeting each other. The smaller orange spirit that followed the cowboy was peeking over the couching man’s shoulder. How had he not heard them approach? Hanzo wondered as he stared at the man. 

“Howdy.” Jesse winked down at the man after a moment of Hanzo just staring up at him. That snapped Hanzo out of his daze, snapping his mouth shut and a slight blush spread over his cheeks. Hanzo glared at the man above him, “How did you approach so quietly?” He demanded to know and pushed the cheese away from his face. “I wasn’t that quiet, Darlin. You were just lost in thought.” Jesse replied, rocking back on his heels to sit next to the archer. “Why don’t you ever eat?” 

“I do not require it anymore.” Hanzo said as he struggled to sit up.“Yer human tho, you need food. How have you survived this long?” Jesse tilted his head and popped a small chunk of cheese into his mouth. “Udon and Soba provide me energy. I do not need anything else.” Hanzo replied curtly, uncomfortable with the cowboy who casually sat next to him. This is the longest conversation they have had since the first day the cowboy arrived at the tower. 

“Is that why you don’t sleep either? That must be draining for your dragons.” Jesse leaned back and dangled his legs over the edge of the wall. Hanzo didn’t respond. “How do your dragons get energy? Especially if you take a big chunk of it every day. I mean you just climbed a giant wall and you are obviously tired so that must take a lot of energy from Soba and Udon.” Udon growled at the gunslinger as he spoke until Soba smacked her twin with her tail. “Speaking of not doing things, why don’t you sleep either? I thought you were sleeping at the window every day until I realized you are just staring out the window. That’s not very productive. Why don’t you just sleep then? Even Soba and Inka sleep, you need to sleep too.” Jesse continued, ignoring the dangerous glare from the smaller man. 

“You know nothing.” The archer shot back with a venomous voice. “I know a human needs food and everyone needs sleep. You’re not a god. Are you just a picky eater? That would be ridiculous to take your dragons’ energy just cause you don’t like the food. If that’s the case then you obviously grew up like some rich prince because honey where I grew up, you had to fight for every meal.” McCree shot back with a friendly voice until the very end when bitterness began to show through. After several moments of tense silence, Hanzo finally replied, “I am not a picky eater.” The archer glared at the man who refused to leave him alone. McCree held out a piece of cheese right in front of the other man’s face and replied, “Then, eat.” Hanzo stared at the cheese in disdain. “...I do not need” he started to reply until Jesse abruptly cut him off, “Prove you’re not a picky eater.” 

The two men stared at each other in silence. The spirits shrunk into the background avoiding getting in between the staring contest. Hanzo’s face twisted in a mixture of rage and annoyance while Jesse’s face was relaxed and calm, almost cheerful even. It infuriated Hanzo. Neither man moved, waiting for the other to back down. Hanzo really hated having another annoying human in his space. 

“I can sit here all day.” The gunslinger said, cocking his eyebrow at the other man. A couple more minutes of tense silence followed until the archer sighed. Hanzo snatched the piece of cheese from McCree’s outstretched hand and shoved it in his mouth. He swallowed it almost immediately barely chewing the piece. Glaring at the man beside him, Hanzo said, “I am not a picky eater.” McCree simply smiled in victory and popped another piece of cheese in his own mouth. “Glad to hear it, darling.” The cowboy said and offered the archer another piece of cheese. Hanzo glared but accepted the piece of cheese. This time the stubborn man accepted the piece of cheese right away with only a groan of annoyance. Jesse smirked when the other man wasn’t looking. 

\---

Life became more pleasant over the course of the next week. Hanzo was finally eating again, granted only when Jesse pushed him to. The archer seemed to not be able to get rid of the archer now. The gunslinger would pop up right next to him multiple times a day. The cowboy always engaged Hanzo in conversation even when Hanzo did not reply. The cowboy also always pushed him to eat something, even if it was just a small portion. Hanzo tried to resist but since he ate that first piece of cheese, his body started to tell him when he was hungry again. The archer had forgotten how it felt to be hungry over the years. It made him feel somewhat alive again. Hanzo would never admit to McCree but he had also forgotten how delicious food was. Even food as simple as bread and cheese. The archer felt a vague sense of guilt every time he enjoyed eating again. He felt that he did not deserve to enjoy anything anymore. Those feelings faded when the gunslinger would show up at his side and distract him from his own mind. 

McCree was pleased with the progress he had made with Hanzo. The archer was frustrating at times but he was the only other human here. McCree needed companionship as Soba had called it. Hanzo slowly started talking to the gunslinger more and more. He had gone from one word answers to short sentence answers. McCree called that a huge success. The gunslinger had also noticed that the smaller man seemed to have more energy and color in his face then when he had met the archer. McCree had even heard the archer's stomach growl the other day. McCree didn't even have to offer the food he had brought that day, Hanzo had simply taken a piece from his basket absentmindedly. Progress. 

Now McCree just had to convince the other man to sleep. Then the archer might become a functional human again. Jesse knew Hanzo was starting to feel sleepy again. He had caught Hanzo starting to doze off a couple times over the past couple days in his chair. Yet, as soon as Hanzo realized he was starting to fall asleep he would snap awake. One time the archer had even slapped himself to wake up. 

The gunslinger decided not to push sleep since Hanzo was finally willing to talk to him. Hell, the stern man had almost smiled at him once. It only made the smaller man more beautiful. He didn't want to risk the other man ignoring him completely again. Jesse actually kind of liked the Archer's wit and sarcasm. At least, when it didn't make Jesse want to punch the archer. Plus, Hanzo kept starting to doze more and more throughout the next couple days. Jesse figured he'd just wait til the other man fell asleep on his own. McCree didn't have to wait too much terribly longer for that to happen. 

Soba smacked the gunslinger with her tail and woke him up. Jesse groaned and lifted his hat to stare at the dragon. __Master has finally fallen asleep. I do not know how much longer it will last.__Soba informed the cowboy. "Fuck, okay." Jesse muttered to himself sleepily. He gently pushed Inka off of him and stood from the bed. McCree didn't even bother to put on shoes, slowly walking out of the bedroom and over to the window. "Wow." Jesse muttered, staring down at the sleeping archer. 

Hanzo looked more relaxed than Jesse had ever seen him before. His inky hair flowed down and around his body as he was slumped in the chair. His head had rolled to the side resting on his hand. Hanzo's gi was loosely tied around his waist and his chest peaked out. Jesse stared at the other man's muscular chest for a minute or so. There was a bit of a tattoo that peeked out as well. Jesse only snapped out of his trance when Udon poked his head out of Hanzo's hair. __It is rude to stare.__ The dragon informed the embarrassed cowboy. "Uh yup, sorry!" He blurted out. __

_ __ _

"May I take him to the bed?" Jesse asked Udon, knowing this twin was not as fond of him as his sister was. Udon considered the offer for a moment before briefly nodding. The dragon slid out of the sleeping man's hair, watching over Hanzo as Jesse gently scooped him up in his arms. "Woah he's light, despite all muscles. He needs to eat more." Jesse remarked as he carried the smaller man to the bedroom. 

_ __ _

Jesse carefully laid Hanzo down in the bed slowly in hopes the sleeping man would not wake up. He covered Hanzo with a blanket. Jesse looked at the peaceful man and swept the man’s long hair out of his face. His hand lingered a little too long. Udon snapped at Jesse as he curled around his master’s head. Jesse backed up and walked over to the other side of the large bed. I might be getting too attached to the grump. Jesse thought as he went to climb into the other side of the bed. Udon snapped at him again. “Hey now darling, I want to sleep too. This is the only bed!” Jesse snapped back. Soba slid onto the bed and bumped her twin. Udon glared but curled back around his master. Sighing, Jesse slumped back into the bed and was out before his head even hit the pillow. Soba settled between the two men and Inka was back at Jesse’s feet minutes later. 

_ __ _

\---

_ __ _

Jesse woke to the sound of screaming. He jerked up and reached for his gun. Hanzo thrashed violently and screamed. The twin dragons swirled around their master trying to calm him down. “Fuck, what’s happening?” Jesse called them. __Master is trapped in his past.__Sobe replied sadly. Jesse set down his gun and climbed over the bed to the screaming man. He grabbed his arms trying to stop him from thrashing. “Hanzo, wake up! Hanzo!” Jesse yelled at the screaming man. Jesse’s loud voice seemed to frighten Hanzo more as the sleeping man started to cry. 

_ __ _

“Fuck, fuck, fuck I’m sorry! It’s okay! It’s okay.” Jesse said in a soft gentle voice. He swung his body so he was stradling Hanzo and held his arms still. “It’s okay. You’re safe.” Jesse said and leaned over the man. Hanzo screams soften to whimpers as he slowly settles down after a few minutes of Jesse reassuring Hanzo. Tears still streamed down his face. Hanzo finally stopped moving violently and simply trembled under Jesse. “That’s it, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe.” Jesse whispered down at the now almost silent man.

_ __ _

Hanzo slowly started to wake up. Jesse loosened his grip on the man’s arms and reached one hand up to wipe the tears from Hanzo’s face. Hanzo’s eyes opened when he felt the gentle hand on his face, and saw Jesse above him. Hanzo let out a shaky breath. “I.. I...” Hanzo whispered. Jesse cupped the man’s face. He had never seen the archer look so vulnerable. This was what was under the grumpy rude facade. “It’s okay, darling. You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m here. You’re safe.” Jesse said gently. Hanzo started crying again but his trembling lessened. Jesse reached down and hugged the smaller man. Surprising even himself, Hanzo gripped Jesse’s shirt back desperately and cried into the larger man’s shoulder. 

_ __ _


	6. “Stupid Spirit Seeker”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji and Ramen come to a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I hope you like my present to all of you! Thank you all for your support!

They had tried everything over the past couple of months. Jamison and Mako had gotten in contact with the Junker Queen. She wasn’t pleased to hear from them and she also may have tried to blow them up but she had nothing on McCree. Hana and Lucio had reached out to their fan bases through streams and social media asking their fans to look for the cowboy. They played it off as a game of hide and seek. Whoever found the cowboy, got to meet Hana or Lucio. Still nothing. Winston and Lena had gone over the data from McCree’s communication and tracking devices over and over and over again. Jack and Ana had apparently reached out to an old friend who knew McCree. Mei and Angela contacted various scientific communities and various governments around the world. While they made some great new connections, Mei especially with a Russian woman named Zarya, there was still nothing. 

Despite all of the panic within the Overwatch family, the world was oblivious to the cowboy’s disappearance. All of the different agents’ methods of finding him were always sure to make sure that the contacted parties did not know the extent of the situation. In fact, their outreach had helped the Overwatch family grow. Reinhardt returned to the base with Torbjörn and Brigitte, Torb’s daughter. Zenyatta finally arrived from Nepal after hearing Genji’s pleas for help. New members joined, such as Satya and Baptiste, also joined Overwatch. Satya came as a liaison from the Vishkar Corporation. Lucio was not happy. As the Overwatch family grew, the agents were also sent on more missions. It seemed the world was finally realizing it needed Overwatch again. 

Currently, there were not many agents on base. There were two separate missions going on, one large scale in Russia and an undercover mission in Brazil, both looking for Talon members. Genji, Satya, and Zenyatta were the sole agents that held down the fort. This was the first time since the recall that so many agents were in the field. Satya had made a specific schedule for the trio to follow so that all of the major functions of the base continued to run smoothly. 

“How does Winston do this every single day?” Genji complained while sitting in the control room looking over sheets of instructions. Satya merely glanced over at the ninja. He sat in front of the main communication panel. Screens spanned the wall in front of him. Two different screens held the active statuses of each team out in the field. Other screens had various governmental agencies’, corporations’, and various other contacts’ information and messages. One smaller screen on the side had Agent McCree’s information and last known location and status. Genji fiddled with the different controls, consulting the sheet from time to time. Then with a sigh of relief the half man half machine leaned back in his seat throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m finally done sifting through that black hole.” 

Satya turned towards him, hands paused above the main control room’s computer. “Any messages of high importance.” She asked. “Nope.” Genji replied, stretching his arms high above his head. “And both missions checked in right on time. Russia’s mission is wrapping up, they will be back by sundown.” Genji paused, “Thank god for that. But Brazil’s mission had hit some complications. Widowmaker has been seen leaving the area. She was the last lead they had there. They are debating where to head from here. Apparently, Lucio and Jack have strong opposing opinions on the matter.” Satya turned back to the computer and resumed her work. “The return of the larger mission is good news. Take a break now, Zenyatta should be heading around base to check defenses. We are ahead of schedule.” The woman responded in an overly formal fashion. 

Genji left the control room and headed across the base to the dorms. He was grateful that Winston would be back soon. Genji didn’t think Satya had had a full night’s sleep since Winston had left. _Satya needs to learn how to take breaks._ Genji’s spirit dragon, Ramen, commented. He agreed. When the ninja arrived back to his dorm he flopped on the bed as Ramen materialized to curl up on his chest. She glowed bright green like her partner’s mechanical parts. Their combined light was enough to light the small room so neither felt the need to turn on a light.

“Even in the main control room, I couldn’t find anything new on Jesse.” The cyborg sighed, absentmindedly playing with Ramen’s tail. _Winston wouldn’t hide anything from you! That’s why you didn’t find anything._Ramen replied, sensing her partner’s disappointment. “I just don’t understand where he went. I know he’s not dead but I don’t know why I'm certain of that fact.” Genji said, his frustration rising. _I know, Otouto. _Ramen replied, while stretching her neck and tucking her head under his chin. She continued, _Plus, you are the best at hide and seek! You always win, so it’s only a matter of time before you find him! _Ramen joked while cuddling her partner. Genji chuckled as his mood lifted and in turn tickled his dragon. 

“Of course I’m the best seeker! You can never hide from me and you’re a spirit!” Genji retorted as Ramen struggled to get away. Her high pitched giggling filled his head with happiness. _It’s not fair! You always could find me and Udon even though you were no bigger than a dumpling! _Ramen squirmed out of his grip flying to the safety of the ceiling. _Only Soba could outsmart your little dumpling brain! She was the best at hiding!_Genji leaped to his feet while still on the bed so he was closer to the ceiling. He started jumping up and down on the bed reaching for Ramen and laughed. “Oh yeah, I remember that! It pissed Hanzo off so much that I was a better seeker than him.” 

Ramen narrowly avoided his hands, weaving around them and swirling through the air. _He was so bad at sensing anything spiritual. That’s why he needed both my big siblings _Ramen paused for a second while laughing at the memory of a small grumpy boy with two giant dragons. Genji snorted and finally caught hold of Ramen, dragged her back down and flopped back down on the bed. “He was horrible at hide and seek. Remember he used to call me the stupid spirit seeker?” Genji chuckled while Ramen twisted in his arms. Ramen settled down when she realized Genji had stopped his tickle assault. She nestled into the warmth of her partner, both of them happily reminiscing in Genji’s childhood. 

The rumbling of Genji’s chest stopped suddenly and the man froze, startling his dragon. Her head popped up looking at his face in confusion. _Otouto? _Slowly, Genji’s wide eyes found hers. “Spirit seeker.” Ramen moved closer to Genji’s face, even more confused. The man’s mind was racing so fast that even his dragon had trouble keeping up with him. “Could he...” Genji mumbled, while sitting up. “How though? He has no spirit...” Ramen sat on Genji’s lap and finally started to catch up. “But he’s not a Shimada...” Their eyes met as they both reached the same conclusion. “Is Jesse stuck in the spirit world?” 

\---

Hanzo held a bow in one hand as he reached for another arrow. The man nocked the arrow, raised the bow while pulling the bowstring back until it almost touched his ear, held his breath, and released. The arrow landed so perfectly center that it split the arrow the archer had already landed on the bullseye. The target cracked under the force of the impact. Hanzo released his breath and lowered his bow with a smirk as the sound of clapping came from behind him.

“Show Off!” The gunslinger called out while clapping for the other man’s impressively deadly aim. He leaned against the wall behind the archer while Inka dozed at his side. “If that’s the best you can do, why don’t you step aside and let me show you how it's done?” Jesse called out to Hanzo as he stepped away from the wall. Hanzo glanced over his shoulder, still smirking, and waved towards the practice range. “I will not be defeated so easily, but you are free to try.” Hanzo replied confidently as he retreated to the back wall. Jesse walked cockily to where Hanzo previously stood while his boots were clicking against the stone floor. He pulled out his peacekeeper, spinning it in his hand on his way. 

Hanzo rolled his eyes at the younger man’s back as he took Jesse’s spot on the wall. Inka glanced up nervously, she did not have much experience with the archer as he did not approach her often. Hanzo glanced over and offered her a small smile. He also did not have much experience with spirits that aren’t dragons. He was afraid he’d scare the poor young spirit. Inka perked up at the smile and raised her head closer to the man beside her, nudging his hand. Hanzo’s eyes returned to the gunslinger but he absentmindedly scratched behind Inka’s ears. He might not have had much experience with non dragon spirits but his dragons loved head scratches. Everyone loves head scratches. 

Jesse was paused in front of the targets. They had changed, no longer cracked and full of arrows thanks to the tower. Now there were various targets scattered around the room all at different distances and angles from the gunslinger. Jesse tilted his hat slightly lower on his face while calling out the archer. “Ready, Darling?” Hanzo huffed in response. The gunslinger was still as the stone around him before he sprung to action. He hit bullseye on the targets closest to him before he darted forward and rolled to another spot. Hanzo raised an eyebrow when the cowboy actually rolled on the ground. 

The gunslinger had shot all the targets in less than a minute. He finally stopped moving to turn to Hanzo with a shit eating grin on his face and cockily said “I’m a roll! You can’t tell me that wasn’t impressive. All bullseyes!” Jesse proceeded to gloat happily to himself as Hanzo stepped away from the wall and approached him. Jesse stopped his giddy dance when Hanzo got close. Jesse was the picture of victory, a proud grin and a confident stance. Hanzo stopped right beside the over confident man and clapped a hand on McCree's shoulder. He turned his head to meet the taller gunslinger’s eyes. 

“Not all bullseyes.” Hanzo stated. The confidence faded from McCree as his eyebrows bowed in confusion. “Hey now! I know I hit my mark on every single target!” McCree retorted, turning to face the archer. Hanzo simply smirked, removed his hand after lingering a second too long, and walked over to one of the targets toward the back. Jesse stared after him for a second, missing the warmth from Hanzo’s hand, before jogging to his side. When they reached the target, Hanzo pointed out that he had hit less than an inch from a bullseye. “This is bullshit! It’s basically bullseyes!” Jesse cried out in frustration. “Inka, tell Hanzo I won!” 

She thought they both won but knew they wouldn’t accept that answer. Inka looked between the two skilled men and trotted out of the room to the sound of Hanzo teasing Jesse. 

\---

The two men made their way to the humble kitchen. They bickered in a playful manner that one could almost call flirting, though neither would ever admit that. Jesse filled his plate with various bread, cheese, and fruit before sitting at the table. Hanzo greeted Soba and Inka before following Jesse’s lead. Inka trotted over to the cowboy seeking pets as Soba slid in circles around her master. _Jesse! Why is your face funny? What does a red face mean for humans?_ Inka asked Jesse innocently and the blush on his face grew as he shushed her. “I’m fine, it’s nothing!” He whispered to her._Why are you quieter than usual?_She replied as Hanzo and Soba approached the table. Jesse panicking and embarrassed, scooped Inka up and set her beside him on the bench. She was delighted at the opportunity to cuddle the cowboy and promptly forgot what she had been asking in favor of cuddling up to Jesse, half on his lap. 

Hanzo sat across from Jesse, and swept his long locks to the side with the help of Soba. Jesse’s eyes lingered on the inky locks until Soba slid in front of them. Jesse quickly resumed eating. Hanzo was talking to Soba, talking about Udon’s newfound habit of sleeping on the window seal in the sunlight. Soba thought it was funny Udon used to chastise her for doing the same thing. “I am glad, he no longer feels that it is his duty to remain by my side at all times. I don’t remember the last time he relaxed. My hair feels lighter without him always in it.” Hanzo said softly, ending in a small laugh. Jesse smiled at the sound of the other man’s laugh. 

“Hey Hanzo, been meaning to ask, do you want me to cut your hair? So it doesn’t get in the way anymore?” Jesse leaned towards the man, with his hand inches from Hanzo’s. The smile slipped off of Hanzo’s face. He slowly gathered all of his hair so it wasn’t dragging on the floor while he sat. Jesse scrambled, assuming he had offended the smaller man, “I mean.. Uh your hair is so beautiful that you don’t have to cut it! It's like a river of ink and ... I didn’t mean to...” Jesse exclaimed, while his face seemed to heat up even more. Hanzo shushed the anxious man by placing his hand over the cowboy’s on the table. 

Hanzo’s sad eyes met Jesse’s and the two sat in silence for a moment. Hanzo’s hand tightened on Jesses and he slowly responded, “I am grateful for your offer however the weight of my hair is no burden compared to the weight of my sins. I can not cut this burden off until I am free of my sins. I can not be free of them in this life.” Hanzo’s eyes never left Jesse’s as he spoke. Jesse did not respond for a couple moments but he placed his metal hand on top of Hanzo’s hand which already rested on his human hand. Jesse massaged small circles into the archer’s warm hand soaking in Hanzo’s damning words. Jesse did not respond until he felt the archer relax under his grip. “I understand, I have my own sins. Though I hope you can be free of yours in this life.” Hanzo smiled softly at Jesse’s response and continued to eat. 

Soba, who had frozen midair as soon as Jesse presented his offer, slid down beside Hanzo and attempted to steal some of his cheese. Hanzo glared at her. Jesse relaxed back in his seat and used his metal hand to toss a chunk of cheese in her direction. Soba darted forward, snatching the piece out of the air. _Thank you kind cowboy! My master is too mean and won’t share. But you’ll give me more right?_ Soba responded giggling and made the cutest face towards Jesse. _Oh, me too! _Inka added from McCree’s lap. Hanzo rolled his eyes at the two spirits and Jesse but casually left his hand over Jesse’s. Jesse laughed and tossed pieces of cheese at the two spirits, challenging them to see which one could catch the cheese faster. The competition continued throughout the meal despite the fact that Soba could win in a heartbeat if she really wanted to. 

As the men finished eating, hands still entwined, the air around the room started to fill with static. Hanzo stood so quickly that the bench knocked over and Soba flew into the air above him. Jesse also stood but more cautiously, the previously covered hand itching for his gun. “Hanzo, darling, don’t suppose this is normal is it?” The cowboy asked while the space around seemed to almost crack as blue and green mist flooded the room. “No.” Hanzo replied curtly, tense and called for Udon in his mind. 

The air shook for a moment until the largest crack in the room burst open right beside Jesse. Hanzo darted forward reaching for Jesse, their hands grasping desperately at each other for only a second before an obscured but almost familiar man reached in and pulled Jesse into the crack by the waist. Two more hands, or rather green claws clasped around the cowboy and dragged him forcefully through the cracks, causing McCree’s hat to fly off his head. Jesse’s hand was ripped from Hanzo’s as the room violently shook and their plates crashed into the stone floor. “Jesse!” Hanzo screamed as the crack started to close the second the cowboy boots passed through the door space. Hanzo fell to the floor, hands catching the cowboy hat, as the last thing he saw before the crack finally closed, was Jesse’s frightened face crash into a floor right next to someone who looked almost like his dead brother.

The room slowly settled as the cracks of static faded from the air around Hanzo. Hanzo stared blankly at the spot when Jesse had disappeared while holding on to his friend’s hat for dear life.. Soba tried talking to Hanzo to check if he was okay as Udon flew into the destroyed kitchen. Hanzo did not respond or move to either of his dragons. Udon demanded to know what happened as Soba slowly curled around her master, sensing his sorrow, only then did Hanzo react. The broken man’s body trembled as he started sobbing. Udon quieted down and also curled around Hanzo as the man started screaming and violently collapsed into the stone floor. 


	7. DnD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse's side of being pulled through the crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Big thanks for the support, especially for the last chapter! Since it ended on a huge cliffhanger, I tried to get this chapter out as fast as possible. It's a little shorter than usual but I hope you like it! Happy New Years ya'll! 2020 is going to be a great year for Hanzo and Jesse.

“No!” Jesse yelled, furiously wrenching himself out of his abductors’ grip as the crack in space snapped shut. Static faded from the room as the air seemed to stop vibrating. Jesse trembled unsure of anything except returning to Hanzo’s side. “Fuck! No! Han” Jesse cried out, panic in his voice as gentle hands clasped his shoulders. 

“Jesse, it’s Angela. You are safe now.” The woman to his right said, cutting off his cry for Hanzo. McCree turned to look at her, eyes wide with tears threatening to overflow. Angela was crouching beside him, eyes and voice filled with worry. Behind her, stood Ana and Lucio surrounded by various medical equipment. They were prepared for McCree in any condition because who knew how the spirit world affects humans? 

Various other Overwatch agents filled the medical bay, where they had chosen to attempt the rescue. Genji was directly behind the rescued man, flung backward when McCree had ripped himself free of his grip. Genji was panting, sweat poured off his body. Ramen, Genji’s spirit dragon, was underneath her partner, cushioning his fall. She was huge, at the moment, having just used her strength and size to help pull a human out of the spirit world. Jack and Feeraha stood further back. Ready to step in if needed. Lena flitted around the room, a ball of nervous energy. Zenyatta and Winston stood in the corner of the med bay looking at different machines and reading data off them. They were measuring various components, trying to make sure everyone was safe from the spirit world, making sure the crack really was closed. Hana and Brigitte stood behind Reinhardt, peering around the larger man, as he stood in front of them protectively. 

“I have to go back! Let me go back! He needs me, send me back!” Jesse called frantically, not seeming to understand where he was. He lurched forward on his knees, desperately grabbing a hold of Angela’s coat. “I have to go back!” The doctor fell backward, as strong hands ripped McCree away from her. The gunslinger landed on his back, pinned down by Genji. “Jesse, calm down. You are no longer in the spirit world.” Genji told the man as he struggled to contain him. Lucio rushed to McCree’s other side as Angela and Ana debated what to do. 

“He’s in shock,” Angela said as Ana helped her sit up. “He doesn’t seem to recognize any of us.” Ana responded, pausing for a moment, hesitant to continue, “Perhaps he has lost his memory.” Ana finished just as Lucio reached the struggling man. Jesse violently flung Lucio off with the strength from his metal arm, flinging him into the medical bed a couple of feet away from him. McCree flipped on his stomach, shaking Genji loose for only a second, putting a knee under himself. McCree reached for his gun while attempting to stand, only to falter when Genji tackled him to the ground. “Some help would be nice!” Genji called to the motionless Overwatch members who watched in shock.

“Damn it, we need to control him. It doesn’t seem like he’d hesitate to shoot someone right now. Use everything you can to restrain him.” Jack called out to the various members while rushing to help restrain the man. Fareeha followed the old soldier closely with Reinhardt at her toes. Hana, Lena, and Brigitte grabbed a rope and other items that would be useful to restrain the man. Zen and Winston still held back at the devices, typing frantically as McCree grew more and more desperate. 

“I need to go back!” Jesse screamed as he fought off the agents as best as he could. He was surrounded and being constantly pushed back down yet he kept fighting. Reinhardt tried to pick him up from behind to get him to a medical bed, only to drop the gunslinger when McCree slammed his head back, headbutting the older man and effectively breaking Rein’s nose. McCree fought like a wild beast, kicking, punching, and clawing his way out of his attackers’ grip. He struggled to find his gun, Fareeha had taken it from him as soon as she reached his side. Lucio stepped back and played calming music in an attempt to slow the frantic man. The music pulsed softly, easing pain and anxiety, but Jesse kept fighting. 

Ana and Angela struggled to make a decision on how best to stop the man. “If they can hold him still one moment, I can sleep dart him,” Ana said, checking her supplies. Angela set up a Biotic field as the fight became more of a one-man brawl against the world. Jack had a black eye forming. Genji had a cut on his face from when Jesse somehow grabbed one of his shurikens. McCree had slashed around wildly with the shuriken, cutting anyone close. Fareeha’s thighs bled, seeping through her clothes as she still struggled with the cowboy. 

Brigitte and Hana snuck up behind the cowboy, flung the rope over his head and around his chest. They tightened the rope, as Jesse shrieked in anger. Rein, Jack, and Genji grabbed on as well, holding the rope taut as Lena flitted around the man’s swinging hands trying to tie them together. Fareeha assisted her by pinning his hands down just as Ana took aim. “Sleep, now,” Ana said softly as she pulled the trigger. Just as she fired, an orange form burst out of seemingly nowhere. _WAIT!_ A feminine voice cried out, echoing in the minds of everyone in the room. The agent’s stared in confusion at a small orange spirit as Jesse slumped to the floor. 

\---

Hanzo was curled up on the stone floor around Jesse’s hat. It had been days and he hadn’t moved from that spot. Soba tried to get him to eat or drink but he simply stared at her. At least he wasn’t screaming anymore. He shivered now, pale and weak. Soba had brought down the blankets and pillows from the bed when she gave up on trying to get Hanzo up. They had eased him for a few hours. His face was buried in the pillows as the blankets wrapped tightly around his balled up figure. Still, he shivered, Soba wrapped her whole body around the ball of Hanzo and blankets. Her large body emanated warmth and energy for the broken man. 

Udon shrunk to curl up next to his master under the mess of blankets. When Hanzo started scratching at his skin anxiously, Udon stopped him. When Hanzo tore at his lips with his teeth, Udon distracted him. And when Hanzo shivered, Udon gave him everything he could. In the decade Hanzo had been in the spirit world, this was the moment Udon and Soba had feared. Hanzo’s human body was finally dying. Humans aren’t meant to stay in the human world. It slowly kills them. Hanzo had only lasted this long by the strength of his will. Jesse’s disappearance and the sight of his dead brother broke that will.

\---

_Leave Mr. Cowboy alone! He’s nice! If you hurt him, I’ll... I’ll kick you! _Inka rambled to the stunned room with an air of fake confidence. Inka stood on a medical bed close to the fighting but not close enough to be grabbed. Once she had the attention of the room she grew her size to be more intimidating. _I’m a strong spirit! I know about human ways and DnD so you can’t fool me! Hand him over!_ Inka stated loudly in the room’s occupants’ minds as she jumped off the bed to the floor causing Lena to shoot backward away from the incoming spirit. 

“Another spirit?” Genji said, breaking the thick layer of shock throughout the room. “How?” Angela echoed Genji stepping closer to the spirit. _I am the Cowboy’s All-Powerful Protector Spirit! I command you to release him! Or I’ll have to throw the dice and get... A LUCKY ROLL! _Inka answered their question, forcing herself to grow a little bigger. Ana took aim at the spirit quietly. 

“Um.... are you talking about Dungeons and Dragons...” Hana’s voice rang out from behind the crowd of taller agents. _Yes! _Inka responded confidently. “That’s just a game...” Genji responded while trying not to laugh. “Don’t worry, we don’t want to hurt Mr. Cowboy. He’s our friend.” Genji managed to get out without bursting into laughter. “I have a spirit too. It’s okay.” He continued as Ramen came to sit on his shoulder, now the size of a cat. Inka stared at the group for a moment before responding, _Then why fight? _

“Because he started it and wouldn’t calm down,” Jack said, stepping closer to the spirit. Inka still was not satisfied, _Do you all promise not to hurt him?_ She stared accusingly at the group. “Yes, we will not hurt him. We promise.” Angela said calmly. She walked forward, hands visible as to not intimidate the young spirit. “We just want to make sure he’s alright. He’s been gone for almost a year. Since he is our friend, we were worried. It’s not normal to disappear for that long.” Angela finished now only a foot away from the young spirit. The room was tense while they waited for the orange spirit’s next move.

_Okay! _Inka responded happily, surprising everyone in the room at the sudden change. She shrunk down to her normal waist level size. _My name’s Inka. What are all of yours? I’ve always wanted to come to the human world! I can tell all my friends! Can we play DnD? Is that the best thing about the human world? Can you show me cool other things like DnD?_ Inka rambled innocently while trotting around the room looking at everyone. Genji burst out laughing so hard he snorted. “Hi Inka, I’m Genji. Let’s play DnD.” He managed to squeeze out between bouts of laughter. 


	8. Overwhelmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse needs to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2020! I posted early as a New Year's present to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful time coming into the new decade!  
Also, side note, I am currently revising the older chapter making sure the spelling and grammar is all correct. Don't worry, nothing plot-wise or even conversation wise is changing.

_Jesse...Jesse.... Come back....... Hanzo...... soon...._

McCree shivered. His body was heavy. Cold. There was a draft. Cold breeze brushed his face. Tired. He’s tired.

Something’s tickled his arm. No, slight ache. His fingers twitched. Warmth covered his fingers. Arm ached more at the slight movement. An IV? Someone above him sighed.

Sound, soft and distant. Music? Footsteps echoed loudly. Click, click, click. Jesse’s eyes flicked open and closed slightly. Blinding bright light. The music grew louder. Humming? Someone was humming. It’s a familiar sound. Comforting. Fingers tapped along beside him. Humming paused. “Oh, Jesse...” Angela? 

Sniffing, to his left. A soft hiccup. Someone was crying. Weight leaned on his arm. Something tickled his skin lightly. Hair, it was hair. Whose? “...Missed you...” Hana? “...So much..” More tears. Finger’s digged into his side. “..Why...” Footsteps. Weight gone. Another voice, deeper, male. “...Wake..” Lucio? A chair scraped the floor. “...soon....” Weight returned. Hana. Someone giggled. “.....Inka loved....” Inka? How? So tired...

Soft blue mist filled his mind. Soba?_ _Jesse... please..._ _Hanzo? Pain? Is he in pain? An image of Hanzo wrapped in blankets on the floor flashed before him. Jesse just wanted to hold him. Tell him it’s okay.... Come... back.... He wanted to. Be by Hanzo. See his beautiful eyes. Jesse’s body is heavy as he tried to move. Only his fingers twitched. At least, he thought only his fingers twitched. Too much to handle...

Loud. Someone’s being loud. No, several people. Something was on his stomach. It’s not heavy... but kept shifting slightly. Laughter broke his thoughts. “.... But Angela...” Genji? Soft giggles filled his head and ears. Hana? No, Lena? In his head.. Inka? “.... but mid-game.... Wouldn’t mind!” Wood smacked against the end of his bed. “I .... No!” Angela’s stern voice. Someone was in trouble. Wild laughter cackled out of someone’s mouth, something was thrown. Jamison? The thing on his stomach was lifted, small pieces tumbled off. All over his stomach and arms. Were they playing a game? They were arguing. Voices rose all crashing into each other. A sea of voices that was incomprehensible. Something replaced, what he now suspected was a board game, on him. Lighter, warmer, and was cuddling into him. Inka? Small giggles filled his head among all the sounds of people arguing. Definitely Inka. “... mad cause you lost!....” Is this a dream? How can Inka be with Genji? His brain was working so slowly. 

Blue dragons circled him and Hanzo as they danced. Hanzo was warm in Jesse’s arms. Now they were sleeping like they always did. Hanzo’s hair flowed over the bed. Covering everything as blue mist blocked everything but Hanzo from view. Hanzo’s hair was so soft as Jesse ran his hands through it. Wait, Hanzo was crying. Why? Jesse reached out to him. To hold him. To comfort. Always be there for him. But Hanzo vanished under the layer of blue mist._ JESSE. _Fuck his head hurt. _He needs you._

“The travelers crossed through the Valley of Death.” Genji. “Valley of Death, that’s the best you could come up with? Disappointing.” Angela. She was teasing him. Someone huffed and shifted in their chair to his left. Probably Genji. Several people snickered. “Really, kid? You saw the worst of the worst places in Blackwatch. I know Gabe raised you better than that. Be creative. That’s an order.” Jack? Is there a fight? Were they planning for a mission? “You’re not even playing!” Genji snapped back. More snickers. Someone snorted._ Hey, I love it. Help me through the Valley of Death, team!_ Inka said happily, cheering Genji on. Inka is fighting too? “ANYWAY, as soon as the travelers could no longer see the light from the entrance, a large Lizard crawled and blocked their path. There was someone on the lizard's back! What will the travelers do?” Genji continued. Why are they fighting a lizard? Jesse decided he was too tired for this dream. 

_JESSE, I SWEAR TO GOD._ Soba?_ WAKE THE FUCK UP OR HANZO IS GONNA DIE._ What? Hanzo? Jesse felt claws digging into his shoulder. Soba. Woah Soba was right in front of him. She scales glimmer feeling the darkness with light. “Hanzo?” Jesse struggled to get out. _Good! Finally, you heard me. You need to wake up! Hanzo needs you! He’s dying. Only you can help him now! The world has forgotten him but you can’t forget him. _ Soba said urgently. “Wait, why is Hanzo dying? He was fine? Wait, fuck where am I? Soba? Soba?” Soba faded from view. Fuck. Fuck. Fucking shit. I need to wake up. Wake up, Jesse. Do it for Hanzo. Come on, even if there is a giant fucking lizard, I gotta wake up. Come ON!

“FUCK YOU LIZARD!” Jesse screamed, ripping his eyes open. It was really bright. Chairs clattered all around him. Someone screamed in surprise. Jesse blinked his eyes trying to see past the fog of the light. “Holy fuck, Jesse you’re awake!” Hana shrieked, jumping up. Jesse winced at the noise. “Language, Hana.” Jack said before pausing for a moment, “ Jesse, you are in Overwatch: Gibraltar. How do you feel?” Jack’s stern voice pushed through the confusing mess of McCree’s brain. Hana groaned as she bounced to Jesse’s side. She lunged on to him, bear-hugging him. 

“Fuck, sorry, I mean, Hi Hana. I feel like crap.” Jesse replied, one hand gently holding Hana, the other rubbing his head. The room started to come into focus. Wow, apparently he startled a lot of people. There is no lizard but it seemed like almost all of Overwatch was in the med bay. There was something projected really big on the wall. They were watching a movie. Beanbag chairs and other but portable chairs filled the med bay to the brim. Genji was on the ground, Angela was helping him up. Jack stood above a bean bag chair a couple of feet away from him. Ana, Rein, and Torb all clustered around that area. Ana somehow still looked elegant in a bean bag chair. Lucio and an empty chair were practically right next to his bed. Explained Hana screaming then jumping him. Wait, was that Inka next to Lucio? Mako and Winston had each taken a medical bed for their own seats. Fareeha, Mei, Jamison, and various other agents crowded the room. Even Satya had come for the movie. 

Once Angela had helped Genji up, she rushed to his side checking his vitals. Everyone else seemed to follow, starting to crowd around his bed. Jack stood beside him, oddly tense. “Jesse, do you know where you are?” Angela started with, as the group stared at him. Jesse blinked confused at the many faces around him. “Gibraltar right? Jack just said I was here. Plus, I’d recognize this med bay anyway.” Jesse replied with Hana still attempting to cling to him even as Angela and Jack tried to shoo her off. 

“Well, you have spent way too much time here.” Angela replied, causing Jesse to say, “Hey!” Angela continued ignoring his offense, “Alright. Now you recognized us, correct? You know we are not your enemies?” Jack seemed to tense even more, as he put a hand on Hana’s shoulder, ready to pull her away from McCree in a second. 

“What do you mean? Of course, I know who y'all are? How could I forget my family?” Jesse responded confused, noting that Jack and several other agents visibly relaxed at his response. “Wait, what did I do?” Jesse said anxiously. 

“You really didn’t like being pulled here, you freaked out dude. You fought hard, not even stopping to recognize us. You even broke Rein’s nose.” Genji said after a moment of silence from the crowd. “Fuck!” Jesse exclaimed. His face scrunched as he tried to recall what had happened. His eyes grew wide, “I am so sorry! I was so focused on getting back! I didn’t realize it was ya’ll! Rein, I can’t believe I broke your nose! I’m so..” He said as he started to panic, only stopping when Reinhardt interrupted him. 

“Ah, young Jesse, you only broke my nose because I let you. Don’t worry, no one blames you.” Reinhardt said soothing with a sparkle in his eyes. “You were surprised. None of us can understand how it would be to be surprised and pulled from one world to another. It was normal to be confused in the moment. You are fine, Jesse.” Ana followed up, Reinhardt, while stepping out of the crowd to Jesse’s side and took Jack’s spot. Ana cupped his face as Hana let go to let Ana in. “Trust me, my son. We are just glad to have you back.” Jesse’s hand covered hers as he relaxed and smiled. 

“I’m glad to be back, the spirit world is really boring. I missed your cooking, Mom.” Jesse said as the room chuckled. Fareeha rushed to his side squeezing in for a hug, practically crushing him. Inka had been riding on Fareeha’s shoulders, now curled around Jesse’s shoulders. He was both surprised and not surprised to see her. Many more followed. Mei had tears in her eyes when she gave him a gentle hug. She introduced the very strong looking women beside her. “This is Zarya, She is a recent recruit,” Mei said with a shy smile on her face. “Howdy, the name’s Jesse McCree. Nice to meet ya.” McCree said as he shook Zarya’s hand. “You as well! I’ve wanted to meet you since I heard how many people it took to take you down!” Zarya said with a huge grin as Jesse blushed in embarrassment and a hint of shame. Mei pulled her away as more people stepped forward to see him. Genji slapped his shoulder, “Guess you are an honorable Shimada now that you’ve been in the spirit world!” He said laughing as he moved out of the way for the next person. McCree was too overwhelmed to fully comprehend what Genji meant. Genji slung an arm over Angela’s shoulders, happier than he had been in months. 

By the time everyone was done hugging him, McCree was exhausted. “All right, everyone give him some space! He hasn’t been around people in almost a year. I’m sure he’s overwhelmed.” Angela said sternly, shooing everyone back to their bean bags. “Wait, how long did you say?” Jesse cut in suddenly very worried. The room looked in interest as Angela answered, “You’ve been gone for almost a year. That’s why we were all so worried.” Jesse’s face told the room that he did not know he had been gone that long. “Jesse, how long did you think you were gone?” Angela said gently when she saw the look on his face.

“It couldn’t have been that long! Sure, it was long but it wasn’t a year! It couldn’t have been more than four months! I lost track counting towards the end of the third month but I couldn’t have been off that much!” Jesse insisted, sitting forward in the medical bed. “The spirit world is a wild place filled with spirits, demons, and various strange magics. I’ve never been there in my physical form but I have been there in my astral form once or twice out of curiosity when I was young. Time does seem to move differently there. I’m not surprised, it doesn’t add up. That world is hella confusing.” Genji said, moving from Angela’s side to Jesse, trying to ease his best friend. His hand fell on McCree’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze and pulling McCree out of the anxious black hole he was going down. 

“How long was I asleep? I need to know!” Jesse said as he grabbed hold of Genji’s arm urgently. Jesse stared up at Genji almost desperately. Genji had never seen his best friend like this and they had gone through a lot together over the years. McCree was always so relaxed and willing to joke in any situation. This desperation was unsettling. It reminded Genji of McCree’s screams when he first got back. “Only about five days, why?” Genji replied. The movie had started to play again in the background but most people were more interested in McCree’s confusion. Angela hovered behind Genji, unsure if she should butt into the conversation or not. 

“Fuck! Genji you pulled me out right? Can you do it again? Or find a way for me to go back and get him? He’s dying without me. I need to go back to Hanzo!” Jesse clutched Genji’s shirt and pulled him closer. Genji just stared in shock for a moment. Angela stepped back in shock. Jack, Ana, and Reinhardt also froze. No one else in the room seemed as shocked, just confused. Genji pulled Jesse’s hands gently off his shirt and set them back in Jesse’s lap where Inka laid sleeping and oblivious to the situation. 

“That makes sense. It finally makes sense. Holy shit that’s where he’s been. How he disappeared from the face of the Earth. I had assumed he had died or was killed by the clan and it was just covered up by the clan.” Genji backed up, lost in thought, face filled with an emotion that McCree could not understand. McCree wanted to demand to go back again but was troubled by Genji’s behavior. Jesse’s eyebrows rose even more when Angela rushed to Genji’s side, as if Genji could break at any moment. The room was silent except for the movie that still played softly in the background. The moment of silence was broken by Hana whispering to Lucio, “Who’s Hanzo?” 

Genji seemed to snap out of his trance. Angela rubbed his back, face filled with worry. “Hanzo Shimada is my brother.” Genji answer, voice filled with emotion that was both sad and happy. “You had another brother other than the asshole one?” Hana asked, ignoring the tension that filled the room at the mention of Hanzo being Genji’s brother. “No, Hana. Hanzo is my only brother.” Genji paused and Hana flushed embarrassed, “I haven’t seen him since that night. I heard years ago that many of the elders turned up dead that night too but I never suspected Hanzo had done it. But now it makes sense. He attacked me, then the elders for making him attack me. Back then, I couldn’t possibly understand why Hanzo would try to kill me. However, now I know he was pressured into it. Hanzo always tried to live up to all of the clan’s expectations of him. Then in his shame of what he had done, he secluded himself in the spirit world.” Genji paused for a moment, before solemnly following up with, “I hope he hasn’t been torturing himself alone all these years. I forgave him long ago. He deserves to live his life since he never could in the clan.” 

Overwatch stood still as all of the new information sank in. Jesse finally spoke up, voice filled with pain, “That’s why he would wake up screaming. That’s why he thought he didn’t deserve the company. God that’s why he was always so sad. Even the good days, even the days I saw the best sides of him, I could tell he was always in pain underneath it all. God, I need to go back. He needs me. I don’t want to leave him.” McCree’s hands covered his face. 

After Jesse finished, everyone who cared for Jesse and Genji, which was practically everyone in the room, started whispering amongst themselves. Ripples of strategies rose among the ranks debating if there would be a way to get the stranded man. Ideas were thrown across the room. One person would hear someone else say something then and an idea would spring in their mind. The room was filled with hope. They were a family.

Genji stood silently after Jesse’s sad proclamation. Pain and regret flashed over his features until Angela’s hand pressed against his face. She smiled up gently at him. “We will find a way to save him. We’ve already done it once.” She whispered, lifting the spark of hope in Genji’s heart. Genji leaned down to kiss his love, grateful for her support. 

Genji returned to Jesse’s side and with a gentle hand on Jesse’s shoulder snapped the man out of his sorrow thoughts. “Thank you for being there for Hanzo. Your presence was probably just what he needed. Thank you for loving my brother when no one else could.” Jesse blinked, “Love? I mean... I just...” Jesse rambled, sorrow thoughts forgotten as embarrassment filled his face. Genji just raised an eyebrow. McCree could never fool his best friend. 


	9. Determination and Hope

“You ready?” Genji asked McCree as they both finished setting up the preparations. “I’ve been ready since I woke up.” The gunslinger replied. “I’ve been away from him for too long. I think Soba visited me while I was asleep begging me to come back. That makes every day we fail to get to him more difficult.” Genji clasped Jesse’s shoulder, pulling him close. They parted after a moment, knowing how hard this was for each other.

The med bay was set up practically the same as when Genji had pulled Jesse through. This was the third day of trying to reach Hanzo. McCree was frustrated but hopeful. They told him this is the same thing that happened when Genji tried to reach him. It took Genji eight days to find Jesse in the spirit world and open the crack between the worlds. Genji had been exhausted after every attempt. Opening a crack large enough and safe enough for a human through took all of the discipline and energy that Genji and Ramen had. Genji said that for Hanzo to go into the spirit realm in his physical form was very impressive. He had never been able too. Genji said there had only ever been one Shimada ever recorded, who held that level of power and control. 

Apparently, it was one of the strongest female warriors in the clan. She had been the first woman to hold a high position within the clan. Even to this day, Genji said it is hard for women to reach high positions. Hana and Brigitte made Genji tell them as much as he knew once they found out she was a “badass”, their words. After her husband had been assassinated while laying in bed right next to her. She woke up before the assassin could kill her, as well. It was said in the archives that she had slaughtered the assassin in such a cruel manner that it could not be recorded. Shortly after that night, it was written she entered the spirit world and never came back. The archives had assumed she had died as soon as she entered. However, the news that Hanzo was able to live there, made Genji wonder what actually happened to her. 

Slowly everyone in the room took their places, Winston and Zenyatta poured over machines that McCree and Genji both did not understand. Something about measuring energy. Genji had asked what energy and soon regretted it. Zenyatta and Winston launched into a lecture about measuring many different energies since they need to use the other things to figure out how the thing they want to measure out. Genji’s eyes glazed over by the end of the second minute of the twenty-some minute lecture. Even Mei and Angela got caught up in the lecture. When it turned into a debate, McCree came to Genji’s rescue and pulled him away.

This time, they knew the person they were rescuing would definitely need medical treatment, so all medics were present. Even one of the new recruits, Baptiste. Lucio and Baptiste seemed to hit off really quickly once they started working together on this project. Fareeha and Jack had stocked up on different materials to hinder Hanzo’s movement if he started to fight like Jesse had when he first came out of the crack. Ana had her sleep darts ready and loaded for that exact reason. Despite having failed to open the crack the past two days, all agents treated this time with exactly the same level of importance and discipline as the others. They did not know when it would work but they would be ready. 

Genji took his place up in front of the wall that had succeeded in opening the crack when they pulled McCree through. Jesse stood anxiously only a foot behind him, despite everyone’s warnings of getting too close. Genji slowed his breath, preparing, Ramen materialized next to him. Inka had also been asked to lend her strength to this task. The logic was that if they crack didn’t open for Genji, maybe it would for Inka since she is from the Spirit World and not tethered to a human as Ramen is. Inka sat quietly beside Genji, as Ramen curled around him. The past two failures had dampened Inka’s spirit significantly, even Jesse could not cheer her up.

The room was in complete silence as they all watched Genji. Genji’s breath continued to slow as he tried to calm his anxious heart. _Think of Angela._ Ramen said softly, helping Genji. His thoughts focused on the love and happiness that Angela brought him. Genji had always found it easiest to interact with the spirit world when he thought of his happy place per se. Genji’s mind cleared, focusing on Angela’s smile. _Good, now focus, reach out. I’ll help you. _Ramen continued softly leading her partner. Genji’s breath stopped completely as he reached out with his astral form. The room held its breath until they heard Genji’s breath come back. That meant he had found the Spirit World. Now to find Hanzo, then attempt physical contact with the world. Ramen swirled around Genji’s body protectively since Genji was no longer in his body.

Genji had always loved being in his astral form. When he was young, his mother had told him how he could fly when he was just like the spirits. When he woke up with Ramen by his side for the first time, the first thing his child self had told her was that he wanted to fly with her. His entire youth focused on understanding the spirit world and how the astral forms work. Even when he distanced himself from the clan and disregarded his responsibilities, he still worked on honing his spiritual abilities. The first time he achieved his astral form and was able to fly with Ramen was one of his fondest memories. 

Genji reached forward, flying away from his Earthbound body, as shivers of delight rippled through him despite the somber occasion. Closing his eyes, he focused on finding the seam between the worlds. He could feel Ramen beside him and Inka not far behind, lending her strength. The atmosphere while in astral form was similar to how it feels while swimming, though slightly thicker water. His fingers flowed through space, the cool liquid gently curving around his fingers. Genji was able to find the seam by touch easier than by sight. Ramen gently pushed along, urging him forward as he searched. 

Finally, Genji felt the edge of the current slipping through into his world. He let himself become engulfed within the current, rushing from one world to the next. It was always extremely disorienting for him. Time and space flipped as he was weightless until a burst of color flew past him, it was Inka. He made it. Genji could feel Ramen in his mind, still protecting his body but also right beside him as she always was. 

Inka was only slightly in front of him, giggling as they drifted along, many plants and spirit flew past them. So far this was going better than the past two times. Now to find his brother. Jesse had told him to find the tower and he would find Hanzo. The current raised them high into the air, then threw them forward at an alarming rate. Genji reached forward grabbing on to Inka just as the force of the current thrust them in the sky, then left them to fall on their own. Genji and Inka seemed to float in the sky for a few moments. The sea of trees all beneath them. Genji could never get over how stunning the Spirit World was. Larger spirits flew through the air, diving in and out of the trees like dolphins in the ocean. Every color imaginable graced the view, even colors that Genji had never seen on Earth. It was mesmerizing every time he visited, especially since before Jesse, Genji hadn’t visited since before that night a decade ago. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. The tower where is brother was.

The last time, when he was trying to find Jesse, he used Jesse’s things to find him. It was not that different from a dog finding a scent then following it. Genji did not know how to describe the action other than him tracking Jesse’s essence. This time, he had nothing to follow. As Genji and Inka floated towards the ground, Genji scooped Inka into his arms. The second his feet touched a tree, he pushed off. Genji loved to fly but he never said he was good at it. He often needed help getting started and usually landing as well. 

Genji flew towards the tower, Inka cradled in his arms. She giggled and watched her world flow beneath her. Genji slowed as they approached the tower, searching for a way in. He saw a lone window with no other entrance insight. That’s such a poor design he thought, Ramen agreed in his head. _Slowly, Otouto. This will be a tough landing for you. Focus on something past the window, not the window itself. _Ramen cautioned Genji. If Genji could sweat in his astral form, he would definitely be nervous sweating. He hated landing and this time Ramen isn’t here to save him. He had to do this. Inka wiggled in his arms sensing his nervousness. 

Genji slowed as much as he possibly could as he lined himself up with the window. Then, promptly smacked his head off the top of the window frame. Genji started to fall from the sudden impact and scrambled to right himself. Genji realized Inka was no longer in his arms right as something pulled him forcefully through the window. Genji crashed on top of Inka who had thankfully jumped through the window when Genji smacked his head off the stone tower. 

Inka licked his forehead as he struggled to get up. Ow. He hated landing. _Come on!_Inka urged, tugging him forward. The tower was much bigger than it looked from the outside. Plus the room was square, that definitely doesn’t make sense. Spirit World is weird. Inka tugged Genji forward, annoyed at how easily the ninja was distracted. Inka and Genji wandered around the strange tower. There was a bedroom with only one bed that was completely empty. Genji filed that fact away for use later without comment. They continued down the tower. It was much bigger than Genji had ever imagined. They walked down a spiral staircase to where Inka said there was a kitchen. 

There. Hanzo. His brother. His almost murderer. His only real blood family. Genji stepped closer. Hanzo seemed to be unconscious, which didn’t matter because Hanzo wouldn’t have seen him anyway. Hanzo looked different from what Genji remembered. Genji knelt by Hanzo’s side, looking down at the man wrapped in blankets. Hanzo’s face was painfully thin and pale like he was sick. His dark hair caused his pale skin to stick out even more. Hanzo’s hair disappeared into the folds of the blankets, way longer than Genji ever thought Hanzo would have it. Hanzo used to hate getting his hair too long. The second he thought any strand was too long, he would cut it. Genji often thought it was because that was the only control Hanzo had over his life. The ability to cut his hair. Genji’s hand hovered just above his brother’s face. What a sad life his older brother had lived. No human deserves to be treated as a puppet. Genji wished he had understood how much Hanzo protected him when they were younger, maybe things would have turned out different. 

Soba poked her head out of the blankets to stare at Inka. _Is Jesse or Genji with you?_ She asked. Inka nodded, not wanting to disturb the sleeping man. Soba looked around, she could tell someone was there, just not exactly where they were. She attempted to death stare Genji despite not knowing where he was. _Don’t sit here. Get moving! Hanzo does not have long. Open the spirit world! NOW! _Soba commanded. Genji fell back on his butt, startled. Fuck, this better work. Inka curled around Hanzo, attempting to provide the weak man with warmth and energy if he would accept it. Soba nuzzled her as the smaller spirit started to cry. _Close your eyes and relax, I’m going to pull you back._ Ramen said softly, worried filled her voice. 

\---

McCree was usually a patient man. He didn’t have that bad of a temper unless you provoked him of course. However, he found out recently that if Hanzo was involved, he had no patience and turned to anger faster than McCree was comfortable with. He also definitely did not love Hanzo. He liked Hanzo, sure as a friend. One of his best friends. He loved the smaller man’s wit and sharp tongue. He loved it when Hanzo challenged him just to annoy him. He wanted to see Hanzo’s smile everyday. God, he loved the man’s hair. Definitely not in love. 

Jesse had not been able to get the thoughts of love out of his mind since Genji mentioned it. God damn it, Genji is his best friend but he could be such a little shit at times. This was not the time to think of that. McCree paced the floor behind Genji’s motionless body. This was the longest he’d been motionless compared to the two failed attempts. That probably means its working, but Jesse wished Genji would find him a little faster. 

Ramen suddenly stilled her movement around Genji. Then, Genji gasped loudly, stumbling backward. Jesse grabbed him to stop him from falling. Genji’s face was flushed and his body was covered in sweat. Jesse righted his friend as Genji took deep breaths and reoriented himself to Earth. “Did it work? Did you find him?” Jesse asked persistently. Angela showed up at Genji’s other side, “Give him a couple of minutes, he needs a break. He’s exhausted.” She said sternly, staring at Jesse.

“No!” Genji yelled surprising Jesse and Angela. “Now! I have to try now!” Angela tried to protest. “But Genji, you shouldn’t overextend yourself!” Genji leaned out of Jesse’s hold on him, holding him up. His hand brushed Angela’s cheeks. He could see the start of tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, though she would never admit it. He knew she was worried. She was his everything. He never wanted her to cry because of him, but “Ang, I have to do this right now or I will lose my chance of ever having my brother back.” Genji whispered for her ears only as he rested his forehead on hers. 

Genji stepped away from both of them despite being already exhausted, “Okay, Ramen, ready?” Ramen swirled around her master again, as she started to glow. “Angela, step back. Jesse, your emotional attachment might help, stick closer. Plus, you got to Spirit World somehow before, maybe you’re secretly good at this. I might need your help.” Genji said more seriously than anyone in Overwatch had ever heard from him before. Genji rolled up his sleeves as Angela retreated to safety. Jesse stepped up next to Genji. Genji cocked an eyebrow at him, Jesse knew he could get hurt this close. Jesse merely nodded. 

Genji and Ramen were silent as they focused on their bond. Slowly there was no more human and spirit, only one being. They knew where Hanzo was. They can do this. Their minds are perfectly in sync. It was now or never. Reaching out, as he had before, his breath stopped. Their thoughts focused on his brother’s essence. The room wavered and he breathed again. Genji was in his astral form but also in his real body. It was an extremely hard form to hold but Ramen gave him strength. Their astral bodies started to mix together, perfectly in sync. Search, focus, find Hanzo. They knew where he was, they just had to find where to attempt the crack.. 

Genji groaned in pain but forced through it. There were two Ramens and Two Genji’s but together they were one. Their minds focused on Hanzo’s essence, slowly making their way around the outside of the spirit world. “There!” They yelled. Now, the hardest part. They felt a hand on their shoulder. Jesse. He’s here too. We are not alone. They pushed forward with all their strength. Fingers and claws physical and astral both struggling. The air around them started to crackle. “Fuck” They gasped out. They need to push harder. They could feel another energy, pushing with them. Dangerous, but they can’t get distracted. 

Static started to fill the air slowly. They could feel everything coming apart under their hands. They pushed harder, claws slipping through. They could feel it. It was opening. It was working but it hurt so much. They felt like they were being shredded but they could not stop. Their arms trembled, minds and bodies so tired. They were losing it. It was closing. They can’t let it. “JESSE!” They scream, voice filled with pain. They heard him yelling back. He’s there, right beside them. 

“SON OF A BITCH!!” Jesse screamed half in pain as he recklessly thrust his hands into the sliver of a crack. His human hand immediately started to rip open, as if the tear in the world was shredding him. He needed more power. Jesse shivered as he felt the dull ache behind his eyes. He could feel long nails crawling his skin. 

_Focus._ The dark voice whispered in the gunslinger’s pounding head. Jesse felt like he couldn’t breathe. Time seemed to stand still. 

_Mark._ His eye glowed red, summoning a power McCree that despised.. His whole body tensed from the uncomfortably familiar power.

_Pull._ Jesse felt inhuman power flow through him as he ripped the crack open.

Ramen and Genji also felt the surge of power. Confused but grateful they pulled the crack open along with Jesse. All of them screamed in pain as red mist flitted across space in front of them. They all fell backwards from the force of the crack ripping open between the worlds. Static filled the air, as Jesse scrambled to his feet, panting. Hanzo. He could see Hanzo. Jesse scrambled through the opening, ignoring Genji’s calls not to go all the way in. Genji struggled to his feet as Ramen rushed after Jesse. Genji followed them as fast as he could. 

Jesse was by Hanzo’s side and scooping the unconscious man, still wrapped in blankets, by the time Genji reached the crack. Blue and green dragons swirled around the crack, forcing their bodies to stop the opening from closing too soon. Jesse rushed back to the crack, as Genji called frantically for him to hurry. The crack was trying to close. Static crackled everywhere. Jesse sprinted full force into the crack, flying through. A pile of dragons and Genji softened his and Hanzo’s crash into the ground. The crack snapped closed violently behind them. 


	10. The Dragon Awakens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of ripping open a door between worlds.

Angela rushed forward with Ana with Lucio and Baptiste not far behind, a gurney between them. The medics arrived at the pile of humans and spirits right at the crack between the worlds snapped closed. Static stung a group of conscious humans that rushed through it. As the static faded, the room was filled with agents rushing around frantically. Angela was kneeling in the small puddle of blood that was growing slowly. She and Ana carefully helped McCree to the side. He was barely conscious, only letting go of the small man in the blankets when Angela started to examine the smaller man. Ana applied pressure to the cowboy’s bleeding hand and arm. Lucio was at Genji’s side, calling for more gurneys to be brought over.

Angela carefully unwrapped the older Shimada. Inside the bloodied blankets was Jesse’s cowboy hat which was now crushed and a very small Inka who was curled into the archer’s chest. She checked the frail man for signs of consciousness while connecting her caduceus staff to him. Angela reeled the archer’s massive amount of hair into her arms and tossed it onto his stomach. Then She and Brigette lifted Hanzo onto a gurney to transport him to an actual medical bed. Genji had already been transported when they realized he was completely unconscious. Ana and Baptiste were trying to convince the barely conscious cowboy to get on a gurney as well. He kept trying to get up and go to Hanzo’s side despite having not strength. Finally, Ana just sleep darted the struggling cowboy and he was lifted onto the gurney by Baptiste and Jack.

Lucio bandaged the gashes that had managed to make their way onto what was left of Genji’s flesh. The cyborg would need to have an evaluation of his cybernetics to determine what needed to be fixed. After a quick pass through, all of the important parts of the functions of his body worked. The damage seemed to be mostly exterior. However, for now, Genji was fine, just exhausted. Angela decided to just let him sleep.

McCree’s human arm was the cause of the small puddle of blood. His skin was practically shredded. Ana and Baptiste bandaged the torn flesh as best as possible. Ana noted that the man might need a skin graft for later. Baptiste set up a blood transfusion while Ana checked Jesse’s other vitals. Jesse was running a fever and Ana stayed by his side for hours. McCree's metal arm was also damaged. The metal plates were dented and would need to be repaired. None of the circuits within however seemed to be too damaged. 

The recovery of Hanzo Shimada was not nearly as simple. Angela barely left the elder Shimada’s side due to the extent of damage to his body. He was malnourished, dehydrated, and practically dead. There was a chance that Hanzo’s extended starvation had caused permanent organ damage despite the energy for the dragons. Hanzo’s body was painfully thin. Angela had never seen a human body that showed signs of such a long period of extended starvation before Hanzo. 

Soba and Udon answered any questions the doctor had on what had happened throughout the ten years. After intense questioning, Angela, with the help of the rest of the medical team, summarized that the archer had gone through both the first and second stage of starvation in his extended stay in the spirit world, however, the stages were slowed by his stead intake of energy from both of his dragons. Their combined energy prevented Hanzo from entering the final stage of starvation. However, his body still had been progressing towards the third stage of starvation. Soba told the doctor that when Jesse left, Hanzo slowly stopped accepting energy from his spirits. This caused the extended starvation to finally catch up with him and Hanzo’s body entered the third stage of starvation. As his body ran out of options, Hanzo had fallen into a coma. His body’s fats, glucose, muscle mass, and tissue are finite resources that had been slowly used over the extended starvation so when Hanzo entered the final stage, death would have come quick if Overwatch had not intervened. 

The extended starvation had wrecked Hanzo’s immune system as well, which especially worried the medics. They did not have enough information about the spirit world to know if there were diseases and germs that Hanzo had been exposed to in his extended weakened state. However, Hanzo’s immune system could have also been exposed to foreign germs when Genji had first opened the crack to retrieve Jesse. That possible exposure could also have contributed to Hanzo’s sudden decline in health. Then when McCree had carried him into this world, he was exposed to a flood foreign germs and entities that could take advantage of his extremely weak immune system.

Angela and Ana decided to put Hanzo into quarantine so that they could reduce the chances of Hanzo being exposed to anything he hadn’t already been exposed too. The archer was also diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency disorder. The chances of his immune system ever truly fully recovering were practically impossible. There had been too much damage for too long. Hanzo was unable to feed himself due to his coma so the medical team decided the best course of action was to feed him with a nasogastric tube. Ana and Angela prepared special nutrient liquids to help provide Hanzo’s body the nutrients to start building itself back up. The twin dragons and Inka also provided their energy to Hanzo’s wrecked body daily. Despite this, Hanzo did not wake up. Overwatch could only wait and hope for Hanzo’s body to recover.

\---

“Why would you think it’s back?” Gabe whispered harshly into the cheap phone. The inaudible reply Gabe received only caused the man to look even more mad than usual. “Shit.” The usually stoic man groaned and leaned back on the wall. “Why didn’t he come to us?” The voice on the phone replied angrily. Gabe just buried his head in his hands. 

After a moment and a frustrated sigh from the man in the shadows, “Look, I know he probably doesn’t trust us as much as he did back then. Hell, he doesn’t even know about me yet, does he? But he’s being stupid, he knows the cost. He’s still alive because we taught him not to be stupid. Maybe he’ll talk to Ana about it?” After a brief response over the line, Gabe grunted in response and hung up. Without a second thought, he dropped the phone on the ground and crushed it under his boot. 

“You know crushing it wouldn’t stop me.” Sombra’s voice rung out from the shadows on the staircase behind Gabe. Reaper jumped at her voice and spun around shotguns aimed right at her. “Oh, relax Gabe. If I was going to turn you in, I would have done it weeks ago.” The small woman said as she walked down the shadow covered staircase with her hands behind her head. She appeared completely at ease. 

“Give me one reason not to blow your pretty little half-shaved head off.” Gabe’s deep voice threatened, serious enough that Sombra knew he wouldn’t hesitate. Sombra laughed off his threat with a wave of her hands before replying, “Aw Gabby don’t be so dramatic. I’ve been watching you for weeks. I know you are a double agent for Overwatch. I have your entire file waiting to be sent right to Doomfist if I don’t make it out of here alive. Then your little sham is up. I know it took years and years of work to set up, you wouldn’t want it all to go down the drain just like that, would you?” Gabe scowled and glared at her as she walked around him without a care in the world.

“I’m sure your little Jackie would be sad if you died so suddenly,” Sombra whispered right next to Gabe’s ear. He shoved her away roughly, “What do you want, pest?” She twirled back right in front of the man and pushed his shotguns down. “Easy. I want in.” She said with a relaxed shrug. “In?” Gabe replied, confused at the smaller woman. “You only ever do anything for your own gain. How would this benefit you? Do you even know what I’ve been doing here for years now?” Gabe shot back defensively. 

“I want to help you take down Talon. You’ve been feeding your little Jackie information for years. With me helping you, we can get more done in the course of a month then you have done since you got here.” Sombra said confidently as she leaned against the dusty walk with a smirk. Gabe stared her down for a moment before replying menacingly, “Sombra, you didn’t answer my question. What. Would. You. Gain?” 

Sombra really wanted to mess with the Reaper for longer but she knew they were running out of time before one of them would be missed. She needed to convince him thoroughly and quickly. She sighed and leaned her head back to rest on the wall behind her. “Look Gabby, you have people you are protecting. I never had that. I never gave a damn about another person. Until now. Now I have someone I want to protect. They can’t be protected unless the trash that is Talon is crushed into the ground permanently.” Gabe simply raised an eyebrow at her little speech.

“Plus it would be hilarious to see Moria’s stupid stuck up face when everything comes crashing down on her. I might even film it” Sombra replied uncomfortably cheerfully as she stepped away from the wall with a giant grin on her face. “Well, guards almost here, got to go! We will talk about plans later.” Sombra winked, “Oh and one more thing, I can help you with that pesky demon problem too.” Sombra said as she blew a kiss and translocated away. 

“Fucking pest.” Gabe groaned quietly to himself before leaving the dusty hallway to head back to the Talon headquarters. How did she know about that problem? It was too personal and Gabe knew he had never kept a record of it for her to find. But if she could help then maybe it was worth considering since apparently nothing else had worked.

Sombra was annoying but she was also completely right. With her help, it would speed up the process of tearing Talon apart from the inside out. Gabe had only recently gotten the trust of the higher-ups in Talon and was privy to their meeting about world domination and other shit. However, Sombra only ever did anything for her own personal gain. That little speech about wanting to protect someone had been cute but Gabe didn’t trust it. He needed to figure out if she really did want to protect someone, who it was. He’ll play along with the hacker’s whims for now.

\---

Hanzo woke up to a bare white room. The only sounds he could hear was the steady beep of some medical machine and his own breath. He was completely alone. The Shimada could feel his dragons faintly. They were too far away and Hanzo was too weak to call them. This did not look like his tower. Where was he? Hanzo struggled to remember anything that could have led to this. The cowboy had been taken from him. Then... nothing but pain. His body had been so weak he felt that he couldn’t do anything. Maybe this was a dream. 

However, if the Shimada was going to dream until he died then he should hope to at least see that stupid cowboy one last time. Maybe this wasn’t a dream. Hanzo struggled to look around, to his left there was only a bare wall with a couple medical machines that he was hooked up to. To his right, he could not see much over a massive braid of his hair lying on the pillow next to his head. His body was too heavy to even sit up. Was this what happened after a human passed on? Hanzo had never been a religious man and therefore didn’t really expect much after he died. Even living in the spirit world with all kinds of spirits and other less noble creatures. 

Yet, if there was any kind of afterlife, Hanzo had assumed he’d get sent to the bad one. An all-white room doesn’t look like a bad afterlife. Unless whatever controlled this so-called hell was playing off his childhood fear of hospitals. That would be an interesting way to torture a human. Start with their irrational childhood fears then slowly move up to each fear that developed over their lifetime. Hanzo didn’t think he deserved anything better but to be tortured in death. 

“Oh, Hanzo you are awake! It’s great to see you up, man. How do you feel?” A short man with dreads walked in carrying a tablet that played upbeat music. Hanzo stared at the stranger for a second before growling with all the confidence and menace of a former Yakuza boss, “I demand to know your name and purpose here.” 


	11. Blurred Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree meets some old friends disguised as enemies. Hanzo throws pudding.

The Reaper stood imposingly in the corner of the boardroom as the red haired scientist showed the counsel of the Shimada clan what she could “offer” them. The entire ordeal was a joke. Everyone in the room knew that the Shimada clan desperately needed Talon’s help after the previous successor had murdered half the clan a decade ago. The proud clan that had once controlled all of Japan and parts of other countries had been reduced to hiding in the shadows to avoid being fully exterminated. However, Doomfist’s pride for Talon’s strength brought on this twisted circus show. 

Moria was currently draining the life out of some poor fool who had a debt with a Shimadas. The clan leaders, or what was left of them, looked on in disgusted glee. They seemed to think that they would be able to convince Talon to do whatever they wanted. Little did the elders know that Sombra was hacking their system to gain every bit of information right as they spoke. Luckily, Doomfist didn’t know that little bit of information either. 

“Hm, He seemed to die faster than most. This adds a significant amount of data to analyze. Intriguing.” Moria commented indifferently as the man in front of her drew his last breath. She turned and motioned for Widowmaker to step forward with a finger. The pale purple woman stepped forward just as Sombra silently slipped back into the room by Reaper. Moria motioned for Widow to turn in a circle in front of the Shimada elders. The old men looked upon the once dancer with a disgusting look of want in their eyes. Sombra tensed next to Gabe. 

“As you know, this specimen was crafted by yours truly. Once an innocent ballerina, now an emotionless sniper capable of killing anyone, no matter what it takes. The perfect killer in mind and body.” Moria said confidently as Widow finished spinning. “There is no limit to what I can achieve with Genetic Engineering. As you already know and many of your men have previously experienced, our Reaper is also another successful experiment of mine. With my knowledge, your men can become more than mere humans.” Widow slipped back to the side of the room as Moria finished.

Akande took control of the room, his voice taking over the space, “You knew our strength but now you have seen it firsthand. We will help you as long as you provide us with new humans for Moria and do not question our methods. If you cross us, your clan will truly end with my fist.” Doomfist smiled at the room of Shimada Elders, “Now, let us begin.” 

\---

Lucio dodged the cup of pudding thrown viciously by an angry Shimada. The pudding bounced off the plastic quarantine bubble behind him. “I will not eat this obvious attempt to poison me! Leave me at once!” Hanzo yelled at the younger man as his dragons curled around him. Lucio sighed and left the quarantine bubble. 

“Well, at least he has enough strength to throw the pudding now. That is an improvement.” Angela commented as she waited for Lucio to leave the decontamination room. “Yeah, be better if he didn’t think we were trying to kill him.” Lucio replied more annoyed than anything else. Most of the agents were out on missions so since Hanzo had woken up, he had primarily been in the care of Angela and Lucio. It had been tiring to say the least. Hanzo refused to listen to anyone. The two medics were careful not to mention Genji. They tried to tell him Jesse had saved him, that Jesse was simply on a mission and would be back soon but the injured man would not accept what they were saying. 

“It will be better when Jesse is back. They should arrive tonight.” Angela paused as she and Lucio compared Hanzo’s new vitals to the previous days. “He is getting stronger and more equipped to handle our world again. He still needs to put on more weight. We might need to consider physical therapy but that is something to decide when he's able to get out of bed. I am worried about him and his spirits. Wouldn’t he be able to find out the truth from them? Is he ignoring them or did pulling him from the spirit world possibly damage their bond?” 

\---

Jack and his team waited in an alley among the maze of Hanamura. McCree and D.Va kept lookout from the entrance of the alley, posing as tourists taking photos with some interesting graffiti. Genji and Ana were hidden further up on the buildings surrounding the alley. Jack stood in the back of the alley talking on an old phone that he always seemed to carry around. The team knew that whoever he was talking to was an informant but Jack and Ana were always very secretive about who it truly was.

“I still think it’s some super special government person. It makes sense why we wouldn’t be allowed to know. The person doesn’t want to announce that they are taking sides.” Hana argued while posing in front of the graffiti with a fake smile and a fake wig so that her fans didn’t notice her. “Also, Lucio would love this graffiti! Remind me to show him the pictures!” She giggled.

“Darling, one, I ain’t actually taking pictures.” Hana’s face scrunched in annoyance. “And two, I don’t know. I wonder if it’s someone from the old Overwatch but I don’t know who’s still alive.” McCree said as he clicked the button on the camera over and over again. Jesse threw the camera towards Hana. She fumbled to catch it. “My turn to pose.” 

“Work it, Jesse.” Genji’s voice rumbled over the earpieces as McCree struck a pose and winked back at Hana. “Ugh you’re too old to do that,” Hana sighed at the two boys. “HEY!” replied the two. Hana just laughed at them and started aggressively taking photos of Jesse. “Children, behave.” Ana’s stern voice chimed in over the laughing and offended voices. “Jack wants us to meet up. Everyone head to his position.” 

The pair at the front of the lobby casually finish their photoshoot at walk back down the alley. They couldn’t hear the two overhead but they didn’t worry. Genji and Ana were faster than them. Jack was waiting for them with the others as he scratched a map into the dirt. He had drawn up a map of some building probably in the city. “The Shimadas and Talon are meeting right now in the Shimada castle. We have a contact who will provide us with a back door access to the Shimada castle’s entire system. We just have to get close enough because the contact can’t leave the castle currently. Two of us will breach the wall of the castle and meet the contact in the East wing on the second floor. It’s not heavily guarded anymore. Hasn’t been in a decade, yet they continuously fail to realize they have a weak spot in their security. Makes our job easier.” The old soldier briefed the team.

“The East wing is their shame and where their downfall started. They probably outlawed members from ever entering in an attempt to forget their shame.” Genji chimed in softly while staring down at the dirt map. “Genji and Ana will keep an eye on McCree and I as we meet the contact in the East wing. Hana you stay back and make sure no one notices us and tries to jump us from behind. Also make sure the route to the ship remains as clear as possible.” The agents nodded and seamlessly moved to their position. 

Jack and McCree walked side by side toward the east of the Shimada castle. “So, I get to meet this mysterious contact of yours? I must really be getting on your good side.” McCree smirked as he glanced over at the previous Overwatch commander. “As annoying as you can be, you’re still like a son to me. I know I can trust you. Just don’t be loud.” Jack said without even looking at the cowboy. “Me? Loud? Hell I’m never loud! I’m great at stealth. That’s why I was in Blackwatch.” Jack just sighed as the cowboy raised his voice. 

The pair reached the base of the East wall of the Shimada castle. All of the agents confirmed that they were in position. The old soldier pulled out the cheap phone again and waited. “What are we...” Jack shushed the cowboy. Jesse rolled his eyes at the older man when Jack wasn’t looking. 

The phone rang, vibrated once, twice, and then stopped. “It’s time. Eyes up and stay alert. We want to be in and out quickly and silently.” Jack commanded over the earpiece to the team. The cowboy boosted the older soldier to the top of the wall. Jesse backed up then ran at the wall full speed, jumped, and grabbed Jack’s outstretched hand. They were over the wall in fifteen seconds flat. “Not bad.” Jack muttered under his breath and McCree smirked. The pair moved from shadow to shadow in the courtyard. There seemed to be not a soul anywhere near them. There was an old half broken down wall underneath one of the windows to the second floor which the agents quickly used to breach the old castle. 

The room they stepped into through the window had layers of dust covering everything. Faded blue silk sheets covered the bed and a simple scroll was clinging to the wall across from the bed. Twin blue dragons twisted and curled around a cherry blossom tree. There was practically nothing else in the room that indicated that it had ever belonged to a human with a personality. McCree snorted quietly as he took it all in. “Boss, how much do you wanna bet that this was Hanzo’s room?” 

“Don’t need to waste any money on it. This wing housed the main Shimada family until a decade ago when they closed the wing permanently. It had to have been either Hanzo’s, Genji’s, or their father’s.” Jack stated quietly as he listened for movement elsewhere in the wing. “Well it definitely ain’t Genji’s. Too boring.” Jesse paused for a moment before taking the old scroll off the wall and rolling it up. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Jesse. It was my brother’s.” Genji replied sarcastically over the earpiece. McCree placed the rolled scroll by the window gently, waiting for their escape. 

“No talking no matter what. I’ll answer questions later. Let’s go.” McCree followed the old soldier out into the hall. After walking a couple yards, Jack stopped and grabbed Jesse’s arm and motioned for silence. A cloud of dark smoke came around the corner causing Jesse to reach for his gun only to be stopped by Jack. McCree wanted to shake the old soldier. That was the Reaper’s smoke. McCree struggled for a moment under Jack’s grip but stopped as the old soldier stared him down. McCree hated that Jack wasn’t even watching the Reaper form into a human shape merely a couple feet from them. With one last glare at Jesse, Jack released the cowboy and stepped towards the dark figure. 

The Reaper slowly raised his hand to take off his mask, glancing at McCree, sensing his unease and distrust. McCree was practically growling as Jack approached the dark figure. Fingers twitching to grab his gun and shoot the motherfucker who had hurt so many of the people he cared about. The Reaper lifted his mask off fully to reveal a familiar, worn, scarred face that seemed to shift with the smoke rising off of him. Jack immediately engulfed the previously masked man and promptly pulled him down for a kiss.

Jesse stared flabbergasted and unsure of what the hell was happening. A flash of light and a giggle came out of nowhere next to the cowboy. Jesse wondered absentmindedly when Inka got there until he suddenly noticed a short woman next to him. “Wait, Olivia? What the fuck is happening?” 

\---

Angela and Lucio anxiously waited with several other Overwatch agents as the ship landed on the loading dock of the base. The tired agents walked down to greet everyone waiting for them. Genji and Hana bickered back and forth of what video game Hana should stream next as they greeted Angela and Lucio. Ana and Jack walked on either side of McCree who was staring blankly at the ground. He held a scroll loosely at his side and Ana and Jack seemed to be trying to talk to him. 

As the trio approached Angela and Genji, Angela waved them over. Ana and Jack immediately stopped talking. Angela briefly wondered what had happened to make McCree act so strange. The trio stopped in front of the medic and she beamed at them. “So, what is it? They are here, now will you tell me?” Genji whined playfully at Angela’s side. Angela glanced over at her love before rolling her eyes at him.

“This pertains to Jesse almost as much as it pertains to you. I am pleased to announce that Hanzo has woken up while you both were on your mission.” Genji seemed to freeze as McCree seemed to spring back to life, a smile captured his previously emotionless face. “However, he seems to think we are trying to kill him so I would recommend that Jesse goes to calm him down first before anyone else talks to him.” Angela finished as Jesse practically started to sprint to the medical bay dragging Angela behind him. Genji, Ana, and Jack slowly followed them.

Angela panted as McCree finally stopped running. “Jesse, you still need to be decontaminated. His immune system is still very weak.” Angela managed to get out before noticing that Jesse stood frozen in front of the window in the plastic quarantine bubble. Jesse stared at the man sitting up in the medical bed. His hand slowly reached up to touch the plastic clear window just as Hanzo looked over. Their eyes locked on to each other and for the first time since Hanzo had woken up, Hanzo smiled. 


	12. Old Friends and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is back with Hanzo. While Hanzo sleeps, Jesse remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I'm so sorry for the lapse in posting! College got a little hectic last week! But I will try to post regularly now that I have all my tests and assignments under control. Thank you all for your support! I appreciate all of you so much!

Hanzo was sleeping peacefully when Jesse came back from the mission debriefing. McCree tapped his foot impatiently while waiting for the decontamination process to end before he stepped back into the plastic quarantine bubble. The last twenty-four hours had been both physically and mentally exhausting. Jesse just wanted to forget about the world and crawl into bed with Hanzo like he did back in the spirit world. The spirit world was a cage but at least there wasn’t all the drama that the physical world has. McCree silently took the chair next to Hanzo’s bed while thinking back to the mission. His fingers danced lightly and anxiously over Hanzo’s arm. 

\---

First Jack kissed a mass murderer right in front of him. Then Olivia, who he hadn't seen since he was in Deadlock, popped up out of space right next to him. Jack’s voice floated back into Jesse’s mind, “Jesse, quiet!” He said, pulling away from the Reaper at the sound of McCree’s surprise. “We don’t have long. If you’re loud then we have even less time.” McCree had just stared in shock at the former commander. The Reaper stepped beside Jack, pulling his hood back to reveal more of the smoke face. 

“Hey, kid.” A voice rose through the hallway that McCree had thought he would never hear again. “Still wearing that stupid get up, huh?” The Reaper said as Jesse fumbled, for the first time probably ever, to pull his gun out and aim it at the smokey man. Jack stepped in front of the former blackwatch commander as Olivia gently grabbed Jesse’s wrist. “Calm el amigo. We are all on the same side.”

“I don’t... How.... but the explosion?” McCree stuttered, gun back at his side because of Olivia. McCree took a big shaky breath as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Gabe?” He whispered as his body started shaking. Absentmindedly, McCree noticed Olivia’s hand tightening on his arm, Jack rushed towards him, and Reaper, no, Gabe followed Jack. Then Jesse realized he was on the ground. 

\---

Jesse snapped out of the memory as Hanzo’s hand found Jesse’s. “Jesse?” a whisper came from the half asleep man. Hanzo’s eyes fluttered open. McCree’s hand gently pushed back Hanzo’s hair from his sleepy face. “Good Morning, Darlin.” Jesse replied softly as Hanzo struggled to wake up. Jesse helped the injured man into a sitting position only retreating back to his seat once Hanzo was fully comfortable. 

“Where did you go?” Hanzo asked as his hand stayed glued to McCree’s shirt, keeping the cowboy on the edge of his seat. Jesse’s hands covered Hanzo’s, one warm, one cold. “Jack forced me to do a mission debriefing. When I rushed in here earlier, I had just gotten back from a mission. When I came back, you were asleep so I snuck in a quick shower so I didn’t smell like straight sweat.”

“Well, the shower was appreciated. When you first bear hugged me I was worried that you always smelled bad and I had just gotten used to it in the spirit world.” Hanzo said with a straight face while leaning as far as he could towards the taller man. Jesse laughed and scooted the chair closer. “Hey now. I pride myself on my rustic cowboy smell. It gets all the ladies.” Jesse leaned on the bed as Hanzo’s face seemed to freeze even more than usual for a second. “Darlin?” Jesse poked Hanzo’s nose with his flesh hand, metal still covering Hanzo’s. 

Hanzo blinked and glanced at the cowboy with a slight blush on his face. “I am hungry.” He said quietly, almost embarrassed. “Aw darling, I’m so proud of you! You know the puddings are not poisoned!” Jesse teased the Shimada. Hanzo huffed and glanced away almost pouting. “I was protecting myself.” Jesse simply snorted at the archer’s reply.

Lucio arrived a little later, filling the room with soft music, with food for both the patient and his guest. The pair were huddled close together, McCree practically on the bed with Hanzo whispering and laughing softly. McCree looked up when Lucio entered greeting him happily, “Hey Lucio, thanks for the food! I practically starved on the last mission. I would have gotten it myself but somebody” Jesse winked at the archer, “didn’t want me to leave.” Hanzo groaned at the cowboy’s antics. “Thank you for the meal.” He told Lucio as the meal was placed in front of him. 

“Hey dude, don’t worry about it. Just don’t throw your pudding at me, it’s really not poisoned!” Lucio replied with a lighthearted laugh as Hanzo blushed profusely. Jesse and Lucio found his reaction hilarious. “I apologize for doubting your intention, medic. Thank you for your care.” Hanzo stared at the meal in front of him and bowed towards Lucio. “Call me Lucio! Now food then more rest!” Lucio patted the patient's shoulder and glided back to the decontamination room. 

As Hanzo and Jesse dug in, Jesse still laughing as Hanzo glared at him, Lucio checked up with Angela and Ana at the window of the plastic quarantine bubble. “Man, treatment is going to be so much easier with Jesse back.” He sighed as he came to a stop at Angela’s side. “Yes, his recovery should go much smoother now that he does not believe we are poisoning him.” Angela replied as she made notes on Hanzo’s file. “Doc, that sounds like in a horror movie when the Doc is actually poisoning the patient.” Lucio laughed as Ana swatted him and Angela sighed.

“Those two have developed quite the bond.” Ana said absentmindedly as she watched the pair interact through the window. “Well, Jesse was the first real human Hanzo had seen in a decade. Jesse also has a way with people. I am somewhat surprised at Jesse’s strong bond with Hanzo. It makes sense for him to care for the man, since they were trapped alone together for some time, however it is rare for Jesse to become this attached. They are practically inseparable.” Angela responded. “It helps that Jesse is definitely into Hanzo.” Lucio said after a short pause from Angela. Ana sighed and muttered something about young love as Angela attempted to remain professional until a small giggle escaped. 

\---

Hanzo had fallen back asleep shortly after the meal. McCree had cleared away their dishes, stopped in his room to check on Inka, and after seeing that Inka was out like a light on his bed, made his way back to the quarantine bubble. Ana was at the window of the plastic room, watching Angela, inside the bubble, checking Hanzo’s vital signs on the machines. When Jesse approached the entrance, Ana smiled at the cowboy, willing him to stop and talk, but McCree rushed past her into the decontamination room. Ana sighed, not surprised but somewhat disappointed. She hoped McCree would forgive her, Jack, and Gabe soon.

Jesse took his place back at Hanzo’s side after politely nodding at Angela. Leaning back in his chair, Jesse watched Hanzo’s peaceful sleeping face with a slight smile gracing the cowboy’s face. As Hanzo continued to sleep under Jesse’s watchful eye, Jesse himself started to drift off again, remembering when he first saw Hanzo awake.

\---

“Come on, Ang! Please, I need to see him!” Jesse pleaded with the doctor while Hanzo watched from the plastic bubble, worry radiating off of him. “Right now, because of his fragile immune system, only medical staff is authorized to go into the quarantine area. I know you want to see him but you just got back from a mission across the world. You are a breeding ground for many different kinds of germs from all over the world. Hanzo’s body is in a delicate state, we must be careful.” Angela said gently. 

McCree turned back to the window and stared at Hanzo for a moment. His face twisted with worry and frustration. Angela sighed, “Perhaps you can go in for a bit. But you will need to go through the decontamination process at least twice to ensure that nothing gets anywhere close to Hanzo.” By the time Angela finished speaking, Jesse was practically bouncing up and down. He crushed the doctor in a bear hug, “Ang you’re the best! Thank you so much Darlin!” Angela sighed and led the excited man over to the decontamination terminal. “You owe me one.”

By the time Angela had deemed McCree completely safe to enter the quarantine bubble, almost twenty minutes had passed. Jesse practically busted down the door to get into the same room as Hanzo. “Hanzo...” Jesse paused for a moment before rushing to the archer who was struggling to sit up. Jesse engulfed Hanzo in a hug, practically falling on top of the smaller man in his hurry. Hanzo clung to Jesse, only relaxing once it was clear Jesse was really there with him, in his arms. 

"McCree..." Hanzo whispered into Jesse's shoulder. "Darlin, call me Jesse... Please..." The larger replied right in Hanzo's ear. "Jesse... I missed you." Hanzo squeezed the cowboys shoulders even tighter. "Me too, sweetheart." The pair refused to part until Angela coughed in the background. Laughing, Jesse from amusement and Hanzo from embarrassment, Hanzo scooted over on the bed and pulled Jesse back onto the bed when he tried to stand. McCree beamed at the archer who was still flushed with embarrassment. "I am glad to see you are well, Cowboy." Hanzo paused then bowed as much as he could towards McCree, "I must thank you for deeming me worthy enough to come back to the human world. I will try my best to be as worthy as you believe me to be." 

“Naw darling, you don’t have to prove your worth. You’re amazing the way you are. Of course I’d come back for you!” Jesse paused, considering mentioning Genji, then decided against it for that moment. “Overwatch is here to help you. No one is trying to hurt you. You are completely safe.” Hanzo's eyes teared up for a moment as he tried to compose himself. “You are all too kind. All of you.” The patient directed towards Angela who was checking on machines in the background of their conversation. She nodded and smiled gently at the archer. 

Ana appeared at the window of the quarantine bubble a couple moments later, knocking on the plastic window to gain their attention. Angela herded the cowboy out of the quarantine bubble after a quick promise to Hanzo that he would be back after the debriefing. 

\---

Jesse’s thoughts shifted at the thought of the mission debriefing, anger bubbling to the surface. 

\---

He shook off Jack’s calming grip on his arms. “You lied! You lied right to my face.” He started to yell, only quieting after Olivia tightened the grip on his arm, remembering where they were. “How fucking dare you!” McCree pushed Jack hard enough to knock him off his heels onto the ground. “You said he was dead! I mourned him! I remembered Gabe as a father, now he’s just a murderer!” The Reaper visibly flinched behind Jack as McCree finished talking. Jack froze for a moment before his hand slapped McCree face with no mercy. 

“You don’t know anything. How dare you criticize him when you don’t know anything about the situation! We had to keep it all a secret. Gabe needed to remain dead to the world for this operation to work! He’s working for us for god sake. He’s been through hell for years for us! For you!” The soldier whispered harshly at the stunned cowboy. Gabe squeezed Jack’s shoulder softly. Jacked sighed heavily, letting Gabe take over. 

“Look, kid, I didn’t want to go. After the explosion, everything was in tatters. Overwatch was shut down. The world thought we died. Hell I still don’t know how exactly I survived. I woke up in Moria’s lab. She had been running experiments on me for months before I woke up and when I did... I was this. Moria had apparently tried to use the same brainwashing that they used on Amelie on me while I was in a coma. Moria thought it worked and it did for a while. But over time it faded. Then Jack found me.” 

Gabe had come to squat in front of McCree. “We did what we had to. I was an inside agent by accident. Yeah, I killed my fair share of good people but my position gives me the opportunity to help Jack and now Overwatch save thousands if not millions of good people.” McCree seemed to melt in front of the smoking man, still trembling with tears filling the corners of his eyes. “I missed you so much, kid. You’re annoying as hell but damn I thought of you like a son.” Gabe’s rough voice had a soft edge that Jesse had never heard from the former blackwatch commander before. 

Silence fell over the group as only the sound of Jesse’s breathing filled the space. Olivia rubbed circles in his back. Jesse glanced over at Olivia, remembering that she was there too. “Wait, why are you here Olivia?” Jesse’s voice wavered across the hallway, echoing softly. Olivia paused rubbing circles in McCree’s back before chuckling softly and resuming. “Well, one, I go by Sombra professionally.” Jesse’s head snapped towards her, “Yes, I know the bad hacker blah blah blah. Anyway, I’ve decided to help your little good guys group. Gabies fun little memories coming back gives me hope for someone I want to save. Plus, when I found out you were in the little overwatch group there, well, I had to help my friend, Jesse.” Sombra winked at the flabbergasted cowboy next to her. 

\---

McCree snapped out of the memories as Hanzo groaned in his sleep and shifted in the hospital bed. His long black hair was getting caught in the folds of the blankets and pillows. Jesse sat forward and carefully freed the black silky locks. Jesse leaned his head on the bed and softly placed his hand on top of Hanzo’s. He had to tell Hanzo soon about Genji. The longer he waits the more upset with him the archer will be. Jesse dug his head into the pillows in frustration. Fuck. 


	13. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers finally talk.  
There are some moments within this chapter that could be triggering. Please skip parts if you need to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I am so sorry for the huge gap between this chapter and the last! This past month has been insane with college kicking us all out due to the virus that's going around and moving and starting online classes. This chapter is also a heavy one that was harder for me to write than I originally thought it would be. Thank you for your continued support! I appreciate any comments or reviews you have!

I have to leave, echoed in the back of Hanzo’s mind. Blood pooled around Hanzo’s bare feet as he crouched staring at his hands. They were covered in blood too. Bright red blood. It was everywhere. The blood rained down on him burning his skin as the thick liquid ran over his body, staining his skin. The metallic smell surrounded him. He fell to his knees about to hurl, landing right next to Genji.

Hands flew to Hanzo’s mouth to not hurl on his brother. Or what was left of it. Blood oozed out of his younger sibling’s body adding to the blood staining Hanzo’s skin. Screams echoed all around the pair. Wordless shouts of pain and fear. They were pleading for him to stop. How could he stop? Genji was already too far gone. He had done this. His hands trembled above his brother’s cold body. Hanzo’s body struggled to bring in enough air, panting, crying. He couldn’t tell his tears from the blood running down his face. 

Udon was suddenly around him, comforting him. The dragon’s body squeezed the trembling man. Soba appeared too, floating onto his lap. _ It’s not real, master. _ Soba repeated softly in Hanzo’s mind. Slowly the harsh red blood disappeared leaving only water in its wake. He was on his knees in the shower, arms wrapped around himself as his nails dug into his flesh. Soba and Udon occupied most of the shower around Hanzo but the showerhead still spewed scalding water through Soba’s body onto Hanzo. Hanzo panted as the water continued to run down his body, the air not seeming to reach his lungs. 

As Hanzo slowly started to come out of the nightmare, he reached up and turned to water as cold as it could go. The sudden shift in temperature left him shivering but more present in the real world. His fingers’ trembled as he weakly hoisted himself out of the shower. Udon attempted to help support the archer’s weight as he stumbled over to the sink and leaned on the counter. 

Hanzo stared at his body in the mirror. He had gained some weight in the last couple of weeks. He stared at the small squish of fat forming on his stomach. He felt weak and pitiful. The doctor, Angela, had cleared him to finally leave the quarantine bubble but not to work out as he had in the spirit world. He had locked himself in the room they had allowed him to stay in. 

Hanzo’s eyes were tired and distant. The eyes of a murderer, he thought. His dragons protested in the background but he paid them no mind. Hanzo turned away from the mirror, nausea plaguing his stomach, disgusted in the man he saw. He settled himself on the toilet lid, resting his forehead on the cool counter next to him. Minutes passed. 

A knock echoed through the small bedroom into the bathroom where Hanzo sat. The archer closed his eyes trying to block out the world and calm down enough just to go to the door. After a few seconds, the knock came again and Hanzo wobbled to his feet. The man stumbled out of the bathroom and towards the door, using the wall for stability. He shrugged on a gi that was in a chair on the way to the door. The knock rang throughout the room again and again as he made his way to the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw Jesse looking tired and distraught. 

“Go away, McCree. I do not wish to be in your presence right now.” Hanzo’s voice was rough and didn’t sound like his usual self. “Darlin, I know you are mad,” Jesse said softly through the door.

“I am not mad. Go away.” Hanzo barked out, harsher then he intended.

“I know I fucked up, sweetheart. There was just never a good time to tell you. Plus I wasn’t a hundred percent sure who you were until I got back here. Then, and only then, did I realize. I never meant to keep anything from you. Please just talk to me.” Jesse’s voice cracked for a moment as he leaned against the door, resting his head against the cool metal.

“I was in quarantine for three weeks. How could there never have been a good time to tell me. You should have told me on the first day. I should not be here, dirting this place, his home with my presence. It is disrespectful and disgraceful. A man like me has no place in this world.” Hanzo spit back, knucks turning white as his nails bite into the door between the two men.

“I would disagree.” An unfamiliar voice called through the door as Hanzo froze. “I wish for you to be here, brother. Otherwise, I would not have pulled you back to the physical world.” Hanzo choked on air, unable to breathe. His hands’ trembled as Soba and Udon whispered words of comfort in his mind. Genji took silence in stride, not sure what to expect. Jesse shifted nervously, hoping this wouldn’t make Hanzo hate him more. 

“Hanzo, Jesse is of no-fault. He only wanted what was best for you. The cowboy is stupid but he never meant to hurt you. Don’t take your anger out on him.” Genji paused a moment as Jesse huffed next to him. “Why don’t we talk, brother? It is time to leave the past behind.” 

\---

The brothers sat across from each other in silence. Hanzo sat on the floor curling in on himself and staring at a crumb on the ground like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Genji sat in a chair across from him, studying the older man. Genji had seen him through the quarantine bubble window when Hanzo was unconscious. He made sure to keep up with his older brother’s condition and progress from Angela, yet somehow seeing Hanzo in person, so close, was different from anything Angela had told him. 

Angela had said that his brother was suffering from various serious mental health disorders along with his physical ailments but Genji had never expected what was in front of him now. His brother had always been proud, stern, and unyielding. Genji had admired him from a young age. Hanzo was strong in every possible way. But the man in front of Genji wasn’t proud or unyielding. He looked broken. He looked on the verge of death even after having been cleared by Angela. His body folded in on itself, hiding in a manner Genji had never seen in his brother before. Hanzo’s eyes, which had always been intimidating even when his brother was happy, were sunken into his face. His hair lay in heaps at his side. How did he have that much hair? Didn’t the weight of it hurt his head? 

“You grew your hair out...” Genji said softly breaking the silence causing Hanzo to jump. “Indeed,” Hanzo replied, not meeting the younger man’s eyes. “You’re getting grey hairs... you look old, just like our father did.” Genji laughed awkwardly then fell uncomfortably silent. Hanzo swallowed, trying to catch his breath without the other man seeing his weakness. 

Genji sighed. It had been twenty minutes. Genji had been so hopeful when Hanzo cracked the door open. Yet, nothing has changed and he isn’t helping his brother at all. “Aniki,” Hanzo froze. “You need to move on. I forgave you long ago. You must forgive yourself.” 

Hanzo’s head snapped up, “Forgive myself? I’m a murderer!” Hanzo roared back, surprising both of them. “What I did was unforgivable. I should be dead for my sins but I can’t seem to fucking DIE.” Tears ran down his face as he finally looked at his brother for the first time in a decade. “I am worthless. I don’t deserve to be here in your presence!” Hanzo choked out, trembling violently, sobs broke out even as he tried to hold them back. “I.. I ... I..” He stuttered, gasping for air. Genji slid to the floor and crawled to his brother. “Hanzo, brother, Aniki, no. Don’t think like that!” Genji grasped the sobbing man’s shoulders. “You have tortured yourself for a decade. You have paid any debt you had a hundred times over!” 

Hanzo jerked out of his grip falling backward. “Don’t touch me. I don’t deserve comfort.” He managed to spit out as snot and tears ran down his face. Genji felt lost. Hanzo backed into the bed, shaking and gasping for air. Genji rushed forward again when he realized Hanzo couldn’t breathe. He grabbed the trembling man’s shoulders again, trying to get his attention. “Hey, it’s okay. Calm down. You need to breathe, Aniki.” Hanzo’s hands flew to his neck, clutching at the skin, almost choking himself. Genji wrestled with the man, trying to pull one of his hands away from his neck. “Hey, Hey, it’s fine. Give me your hand. It’s okay.” Genji continued to try to calm Hanzo down, slowly lowering his voice. Genji clutched one of Hanzo’s hands desperately. “Okay, breathe. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Come on, in, out. That’s it. Breathe with me, Aniki.” 

Slowly, Hanzo’s frantic gasping slowed as he found himself able to breathe again. Genji softly encouraged and comforted his brother until the shaking subdued to soft trembles. Hanzo stared at Genji’s hand clutching his as his heart slowed down to a normal rate. “How... How could you ever forgive me?” Hanzo croaked out as his body slowly relaxed back into the side of the bed, still finding his breath. 

“Aniki, you were manipulated by the elders. I know you were only doing what you thought you had too. The elders used you. They used us like dolls after father passed. You made a horrible decision. But it’s human to make mistakes, no matter how big or small.” Genji paused a moment before using his free hand to take off his faceplate. “I’m still here, Aniki. You didn’t kill me. You don’t need torture yourself any longer.” Genji placed his faceplate on the ground as he faced Hanzo, tears slowly sliding down his face. “I miss my Aniki. You are the only family I have left. Please, stay.” Genji’s eyes bore into his brother’s, pleading silently. 

“Otōto, I’m sorry.” Hanzo whispered, still crying as he looked at his brother’s scarred face. “I know, Aniki, I know,” Genji whispered back.

\---

Genji helped Hanzo up from the ground hours later after finally catching up. Hanzo was still awkward around Genji but Genji had slowly gotten him to open up a bit about his life in the spirit world. Genji chatted with Udon while Soba and Ramen tumbled around the small room together. Hanzo took in the sight that he never thought he’d see again, silently as he brushed his hair. “Genji... will you help me cut my hair?” Genji looked up and chuckled. “You should ask Angela, she’s much better than me! She cuts mine.” 

“I’d rather it be you.” Genji huffed then climbed to his feet. “Okay, but it won’t be fancy.” Genji stood behind his brother. “How short do you want it?” Hanzo stared in the mirror for a moment. “Whatever you think is best.” Genji cocked an eyebrow at the reply but didn’t question it. “Okay, let’s do this.” Carefully Genji sheared Hanzo’s long heavy locks of hair. Hanzo sighed as he felt the burden of his hair and his past lift off his shoulder. “What do you think? I think you look younger, brother. Which is good cause you looked old.” Genji teased as Hanzo sighed, glaring at him through the mirror. “It is fine... Thank you, Otōto.” 

The brothers walked out of the small room together into the hallway as Genji set off to find Angela. “Genji... where is McCree’s room?” Genji turned around, his smirk hiding behind his faceplate. “Down the hall, turn right, first room on your left. Hana put a cactus with a cowboy hat sticker on his door ages ago so you can’t miss it.” Hanzo nodded and turned to leave. “Oh and Genji, that doctor of yours is very impressive. Keep her around to stop you from being a total idiot.” Hanzo called over his shoulder. Genji snorted and continued on his way, pleased that Hanzo felt that they could joke again. 

Hanzo arrived at the cowboy’s door faster then he thought. He lingered unsure for a moment before knocking softly, right beside the cactus sticker. He heard a sudden bang behind the door right before Jesse swung the door open. A whiskey bottle and cowboy boots rolled to a stop behind the taller man as the pair stared at each other. “Uh, Hanzo... um... hi.... You are out of your room....” Jesse stuttered out, glancing at the ground and nervously chuckling. 

“McCree... I mean..” Hanzo cleared his throat. “Jesse, I need to apologize for my behavior this past week. I should not have taken my emotions out on you.” Hanzo said stiffly as if presenting at a board meeting. Jesse’s face lit up, a smile shining down at the shorter man. “Aw, Han!” Jesse engulfed the embarrassed archer in a bear hug. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to apologize. I was never upset. I just wanted you to be okay.” Hanzo stumbled back, a slight blush on his face when Jesse released him. “Han, do you wanna come in? It’s a bit of a mess but um... actually I could clean it before you came in. I know you like things clean. Um... I’m not usually this messy.” Jesse chuckled nervously. Hanzo smiled warmly at the man, “Jesse, I would like that very much.” Jesse’s face lit up again so bright that he almost looked like he could start jumping up and down. 


	14. Safe Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo and Jesse finally get to spend some time alone in a safe place. Well, alone as the pair can be with Soba, Udon, and Inka tagging along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! The last couple of chapters have been tough, both to read and write, so I tried to publish this chapter as fast as I could. It's just the boys happily having some alone time together. I also went through and reformated the entire story so far so that it would easier to read. I hope it helps!

**BOOM**, bright lights flashed through the dark room causing Hanzo to jump on the loveseat. Jesse chuckled next to him as Udon floated back down on Hanzo’s shoulders after being jostled. Inka and Soba curled up together on the ground together leaning on Jesse’s legs. “Didn’t think you’d be someones who hated jumpscares that much, Darlin.” Jesse said softly while laughing lazily next to the flustered archer. His breath tickled Hanzo’s ear and a shiver ran down Hanzo’s spine. 

“I simply do not like cheap tricks like jump scares,” Hanzo said proudly, crossing his arms and leaning back nonchalantly. Hanzo’s side pressed into Jesse’s on the small beaten loveseat in Jesse’s room, warming the smaller man. Hanzo’s head bumped into Jesse’s arm behind him. He froze, unsure until Jesse’s hand made its way from petting Udon to the back of Hanzo’s neck. Udon grumbled and went to join the other spirits on the ground as Jesse’s callused hand rubbed soothing circles into Hanzo’s tense skin. Hanzo slowly relaxed. 

Hanzo glanced over at Jesse, the lights flickering over his tanned skin as the cowboy intently watched the movie. Sensing Hanzo’s gaze, Jesse glanced over, smirked, winked, and went back to watch the movie. Hanzo snapped his head back to the movie as he felt his heart stop for a moment. Hanzo’s consciousness wanted to ponder the wink but Jesse’s hand and the lull of the movie in the background stole his focus. His entire body relaxed as sleep slept away his thoughts. 

Jesse smiled softly to himself as he felt Hanzo slowly slump against his side. God he had missed Hanzo. When the other man was in the quarantine bubble it was almost like they were back in the spirit world. Just the two of them together. They fell back into their old habits within the first day they were together again. Hanzo had even started to open up to Jesse more, at least in his own way. Until the day Angela cleared Hanzo to leave the quarantine bubble, at least.

\---

“Han, can I ask you a question?” Jesse asked as he laid his head on Hanzo’s lap. Hanzo peered down at him from the tablet where he had been slowly reacclimating himself to this world and what he had missed in the past decade. “Jesse just ask. Nothing I say now will stop you from asking your question anyway.” Hanzo sighed, his free hand brushed against Jesse’s head lightly before he went back to his tablet pretending nothing happened. “Where is Soba and Udon? And why don’t you let poor Inka in here? It’s not like she can bring germs in. She’s a wisp that you can literally walk through. Are you gonna ignore her tonight when you leave the bubble too?” 

Hanzo’s hand tightened slightly on the tablet in his hands. To someone who didn’t know Hanzo that well, he would look exactly the same before Jesse asked his questions. But Jesse knew Hanzo. They had been stuck together alone for so long. Jesse had annoyed the archer enough in that time to know Hanzo’s annoyed and mad reactions. “They reside inside my tattoo in the physical world,” Hanzo said tensely, eyes staring at one spot on his screen for too long to be reading. 

“Uhuh... You didn’t answer the second question,” Jesse chimed in as he poked Hanzo’s hand. “Inka does not belong in the physical world.” Hanzo barked down at the cowboy. Hanzo shifted Jesse’s head off his lap and swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. “They didn’t do anything wrong, Han. Soba and Udon always have your best interest in mind,” Jesse said as he slowly sat up and swung his body so he was facing Hanzo’s back.

Hanzo’s hands clenched the side of the bed. Jesse placed his hand on Hanzo’s back gently, he could feel Hanzo shaking slightly. “They lied to me.” Hanzo spit out, glaring at the ground. “They should be loyal to me, yet as soon as I awoke in this strange world all I could hear was them talking about me to people I don’t even know. They even brought up my brother. Talking about him like he was still alive. How dare they.” Jesse froze. Fuck. He still hadn’t told Hanzo about Genji. There had never been the right time despite three weeks passing. McCree had even told Ang and Lucio not to mention Genji before he told Hanzo first. Hanzo was going to be so pissed at him. 

“Um Han.... sweetheart... they uh.... Your dragons weren’t lying. Genji is still alive. He’s actually apart of Overwatch. In fact, we were even in Blackwatch together years ago. He’s mellowed so much since then haha. It’s kinda funny cause he’s actually one of my best friends in the whole world, though don’t tell him that. He’d get a big head. I didn’t even realize y’all were brothers until I first got back here from the spirit world. Man, that was a big surprise. When Genji told me about you all those years ago, you were definitely not what I pictured. So yeah, he’s here and he’s definitely not mad at you. Well, I mean he was but like he got over it. It’s cool. Okay, well it took him awhile but he has one hundred percent forgiven you. Yup, definitely.” Jesse finished rambling as he chuckled nervously. Jesse scratched the back of his neck and glanced up at the archer for the first time since he had started talking. 

If looks could kill, Jesse would be dead ten times over by now.

\---

The movie ended and the room blinked back into darkness. Jesse rested his head on Hanzo’s silky hair enjoying the peace. He never wanted this moment to end. He never wanted Hanzo to avoid him ever again. Jesse poked Hanzo’s nose, or where he thought was Hanzo’s nose to wake him. The sleeping man just groaned. Jesse poked again, harder before promptly getting smacked. Hanzo made a noise that almost sounded like a hiss as he sat up. “You nearly poked my eye out, McCree,” Hanzo grumbled, only half awake. 

“Sorry, I thought it was your nose.” Jesse chuckled guiltily as he scrambled off the loveseat to turn on a light. Hanzo blinked at the sudden change in light and stretched, bones cracking. “When did I fall asleep?” The pile of spirits on the ground growled at the light but otherwise ignoring the humans to continue napping. “Maybe about halfway through the movie. You missed a lot of jumpscares.” “Good.” Jesse snorted. 

As Hanzo finally made it off the loveseat, Jesse went to the tiny kitchenette and filled two glasses of water. Hanzo limped over to Jesse’s side, graciously accepting the cool liquid. “Your leg still bothering you?” Jesse asked as the two leaned against the small counter, hands barely centimeters away from each other. “I believe my body is simply still adapting to the physical world. Some days I’m perfectly fine. Others, I am not.” Hanzo said softly, sipping the water and watching the spirits lazily nudge each other out of the way for the best napping spot on the loveseat. “Though, my head feels thirty pounds lighter without all my hair,” Hanzo said softly, as an afterthought. 

“I like the new look. Less Rapunzel, more reasonable.” Hanzo huffed. “Do you like it?” Jesse finished glancing at the shorter man. Hanzo finished his glass of water before answering. “I have not yet seen it. Looks are a trivial matter to me either way. As long as I am clean, I am fine. Though, I am rather excited to finally be able to get it out of my face again and tie it up. My hair was too heavy before.” Hanzo moved away from the cowboy to refill his glass of water. Jesse’s eyes widened and he launched off the counter into the other half of the room, where Jesse’s bed and dressers resided. Hanzo raised his eyebrows at the sudden movement but didn’t comment. He was used to the cowboy’s odd behavior. 

Jesse pulled his head out of the closet before calling across the room, “Inka! Inka where did you put it?” A bright orange head popped up from the loveseat, blinking her eyes sleepily. _Put what?_ She asked as she plopped her hooves over the back of the small sofa watching Jesse shuffle through his belongings. “Ya know! The thing. That we found, ya know for...” Jesse motioned at Hanzo. Hanzo wondered if Jesse knew that he could hear and see everything that was happening. _Oh! That thing!_ She jumped off the back of the sofa floating across the room to Jesse. _It’s under your red cloak thingy. Are you gonna give it to him now? Can I watch it? Oh, I’m soooo excited! He’s gonna be so happy! Jesse come on! Let’s give it to him now! Come on, Come on, Come oooonnnnn._ Inka tried to pull Jesse back to Hanzo, once he found what he was looking for, by biting his shirt and pulling. “Woah, calm down missy. You are gonna tear my shirt off.” Jesse swatted Inka lovingly. Hanzo looked away as Jesse’s tan stomach was revealed due to Inka. 

The pair came to a stop in front of the now very confused and concerned Shimada. Jesse held something behind his back as Inka bounced up and down beside him. “Uh well, Inka and I were in town a couple of days ago. Inka was hidden of course, and I stopped in at my favorite thrift store. Has the best flannels, oh and that’s where I found that loveseat too. I saw something out of the corner of my eye that I thought you’d like. Once I pointed it out to Inka, well she said we absolutely had to get it. I know it’s not fancy or anything but maybe it will help hold your hair back before you have a chance to buy a nice one.” Jesse fidgeted as he pulled a worn yellow silk ribbon from behind his back. Hanzo stared at the gift for a moment before picking it up. _Do you like it?_ Inka asked suddenly shy for once. 

“It’s perfect,” Hanzo whispered, holding the ribbon like it was pure gold. Hanzo looked up at the pair and smiled. “Thank you,” Hanzo said as the two humans’ eyes met. Inka squealed and started bouncing around again giggling happily. Hanzo held Jesse’s gaze for a moment longer before turning towards the young spirit. “Thank you, Inka. I will treasure this gift forever.” Hanzo patted the top of her fuzzy head. “I also want to apologize for being distant since I have been in the physical world. It took a while to adjust to the change.” Jesse smiled warmly at the pair as Inka surged forward nuzzling into Hanzo’s chest. _It’s okay! I was scared too when I got here. But everyone is sooo nice! They even let me play the DnD with them! They will love you too! I promise!_ Hanzo chuckled awkwardly and continued to pet the young spirit. 

Eventually, the younger spirit calmed down and rejoined the dragons to cuddle on the loveseat. “She’s always so hyper,” Jesse commented warmly as he watched squeeze in between Udon and Soba. “Yes, she even managed to charm Udon. That is a feat within itself.” Hanzo chuckled before glancing down at the silk ribbon. Making up his mind, he swept his hair up and out of his face and attempted to tie the ribbon to hold it up. Jesse spotted a chunk that got left out and stepped closer to the archer. “Mind if I help, Darlin.” Hanzo glanced over his shoulder before looking forward again. “Not at all.” A soft blush made its way across Hanzo’s face as he felt Jesse’s hands in his hair. Their hands brushed together as Jesse tied the ribbon securely. Hanzo could feel the heat radiating off the man standing right behind him. McCree was like a furnace. Jesse’s hands lingered on Hanzo’s before stepping back. Hanzo lowered his hands as well and shivered. 

McCree cleared his throat breaking the silence in the room. “It’s uh getting late. I don’t want to keep you up since you’re still recovering.” Hanzo’s face fell a little, almost like he was disappointed as he approached the couch and poked his dragons. “You’re right. Sleep is wise. Come on Udon, Soba. You must come as well.” Udon dug his head further into the cushions pretending he was still asleep. Hanzo sighed. “It is time for us to stop intruding into McCree’s space.” Soba blinked an eye open, looking up at her master. _McCree’s room has a couch. Your room only has a small uncomfortable bed. Please let us stay._ Jesse snickered at Soba’s attempt at puppy dog eyes. Hanzo rolled his eyes, annoyed at the pair. “No. Now come.” Hanzo commanded the twin spirits. Soba buried her head into Inka’s fur and Udon didn’t even move. Hanzo sighed, “Brats.” 

“You can stay,” Jesse said, still leaning against the counter trying to look casual. “My bed’s not as big as the one we shared in the tower but it will do. It would be just like we were back in the spirit world. Except without three spirits suffocating us cause they have their own couch.” Hanzo turned to the tanned man, trying not to show his embarrassment at the offer, “I would not want to impose on your space. I have my own space here as well.” Jesse shrugged, “Good luck getting those two up then.” He stretched and walked over to the so-called bedroom and started getting ready to crash. 

Hanzo stared at his dragons in annoyance. Soba looked back at him and winked as Inka giggled softly. Hanzo groaned suddenly realizing that they were doing this on purpose. “Manipulative brats,” Hanzo muttered under his breath before taking a deep breath and following Jesse. “On second thought, you are right. They won’t move. I can sleep on the floor. I wouldn’t want to intrude any more than I already have.” 

Jesse paused what he was doing and let one tiny smirk flash across his face before turning to Hanzo with a big smile. “Nonsense, you’re not gonna sleep on the ground. If anyone is sleeping on the ground, I will. You are still recovering.” Hanzo looked horrified at the thought of making his host sleep on the floor instead of his own bed. “No, that’s okay! You should not sleep on the ground. We can share if you insist!” Hanzo rushed forward almost panicking and bumped into Jesse as he stepped around the bed. Jesse grabbed onto the panicking man and smiled down at him reassuringly. “Great, here’s a shirt to sleep in. It’s a bit small on me so it should fit you just fine.” Hanzo stared up at the cowboy, confused. Jesse laughed at Hanzo’s expression before tugging Hanzo’s arm to follow him. They walked into a bathroom that was larger than the one in Hanzo’s room and Jesse shuffled through things under the sink while Hanzo stood awkwardly in the door. The bathroom was cowboy themed too, Hanzo noticed snorting softly under his breath.

Jesse popped back up with bathroom supplies for Hanzo before leaving him to do his thing. Hanzo looked at the ribbon in the mirror for a moment before taking a quick shower. The ribbon really was perfect. He had honestly never thought he would receive another gift in his life. He certainly hadn’t gotten any gifts in the past decade. Hanzo brushed his teeth while inwardly groaning about the shirt McCree had given him. It was way too big and had a singing cactus on the front playing guitar with a cowboy hat. Somehow, very McCree. 

Hanzo vacated the bathroom and the two humans switched places. Hanzo slowly walked around the open room taking in all the homey things. When he had first arrived after talking with Genji and cutting his hair, they hadn’t really talked much after Jesse invited him in. McCree had been just about to watch a movie before he knocked so he suggested they do just that. 

McCree’s room was well worn and somewhat messy just like the cowboy. The loveseat was old, the red fabric still soft. The room was filled with stuff that was so McCree. There was a cowboy mug and whiskey bottle by the kitchen sink, a small cactus by the lone window, an old faded blanket laying haphazardly across the bed, some pictures of the desert and an old cottage hung on the walls, and photos of him with his teammates on his dresser. Hanzo picked up the one of Jesse, Genji, and another man who he did not recognize. Genji looked so different in the photo. His body wasn’t as sleek and put together as he is now. This must have been soon after Overwatch found him. 

The bathroom door opened and Hanzo jumped looking over instinctively just in time to see a shirtless cowboy. Hanzo looked away, face burning, and put the picture back in its place on the dresser. Jesse walked over to the dresser, just in boxers while Hanzo sat awkwardly on the side of the bed. It was never this awkward in the tower, Hanzo thought sadly. It was just normal there. Jesse turned towards the sitting man while pulling a shirt over his head causing Hanzo to look up. 

“Are those... donkeys with cowboy hats?” Hanzo asked, suddenly realizing what was on Jesse’s boxers. “Hell yeah,” Jesse said grinning proudly down at the archer as Hanzo burst into laughter. “Hey now, don’t make fun of them. Don’t make me kick you out.” Jesse chuckled jokingly alongside Hanzo. Jesse plopped down into the bed unceremoniously and held the covers back for Hanzo. “What a gentleman,” Hanzo said as he slowly stopped laughing. Once in the bed, Hanzo realized how much smaller this bed was compared to the one in the tower. Even with trying not to take up too much space on the bed, Hanzo’s arm was still touching Jesse’s side. Hanzo tried to steady his thoughts as McCree clicked off the light and promptly started snoring softly. Hanzo sighed. Well, now this is just like the tower, he thought as he blissfully drifted off to sleep.

\---

Hanzo woke up feeling more rested then he had in months, maybe even years. Definitely years. He hadn’t had any nightmares, hadn’t woken up at all, and he was insanely comfortable. His entire body was pleasantly warm. Hanzo sleepily snuggled back into the warm comfy thing behind him. An arm tightened around his waist and Hanzo realized very quickly that one, the warm comfy object was most definitely not just a pillow. Two, he and Jesse were cuddling. Hanzo’s eyes flashed wide open and he slowly tried to look over his shoulder without disturbing McCree. Jesse’s head was right behind his and half-buried in his hair. Hanzo could feel the rest of Jesse’s large body wrapped all around him. 

Hanzo came to the conclusion that there was no way he could get out without disturbing Jesse. He didn’t even know if Jesse would be comfortable knowing he had unknowingly cuddled his guest. The spirits always slept around and in between them in the spirit world so nothing like this had ever occurred before. Hanzo debated his options, which were limited before thinking about his conversation with Genji. Genji had seemed to want him to live his life freely and happily now, even if he didn’t believe he deserved it. Plus, he wouldn’t say this was uncomfortable. He was extremely comfortable. He hadn’t slept that good in over a decade. It was also still very early. Jesse’s clock said it wasn’t even seven am and it was a Saturday so McCree didn’t have to get up for work. 

Hanzo decided he was too sleepy, comfortable, and trapped in Jesse’s embrace to care. He just wanted to go back to sleep in this warm safe bed. Hanzo’s body relaxed back into Jesse’s and he fell right back asleep. Jesse’s eyes blinked open at the movement. Jesse pulled Hanzo even closer together then they were before, burying his head back into Hanzo’s silky hair and promptly fell back asleep. 


End file.
